Good Boss, Bad Boss
by juliet92490
Summary: Rin begins interning at the most powerful company in Japan. Her boss, Sesshomaru, is the most arrogant man she's ever met, and he barely speaks a word.
1. Chapter 1

Rin Minami paced nervously back and forth in her bedroom. Though she was now a woman of 18, freshly graduated from high school, the walls were still a bright pink and teddy bears lay across her bed neatly piled with love. Boy band posters littered the pink walls and clothes lay strewn about without care.

She kicked at her bean bag chair with frustration. Why hadn't they called? It had been a week since the interview and they said they would be calling by Thursday at the latest to let her know if she had been hired. It was now Friday. The woman who had interviewed her hadn't seemed very nice though so maybe she shouldn't be surprised.

She recalled how the demon woman had said her name with contempt before even fully seeing her. The woman had bright red hair with green eyes and cute cat ears, a contrast to Rin's dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes.

Was that it? Was she just too boring? Too human maybe? The company had seemed full of demons everywhere she looked which was strange as many demons had disappeared long ago. So many had chosen to take humans as mates that the bloodlines become muddled and most of the population of Japan lay claim to being at least one sixty-fourth demon.

The strong demons that remained had formed their own laws to follow but respected the human's laws as well. Rin didn't know much about demons, only what had been taught to her in demon history classes in high school. They were strong, even the ones with human blood in their veins, and territorial. Their mating rituals varied and the remaining demons followed an old fashioned hierarchy system, with the strongest ruling over the weaker even in modern times.

She needed this job so badly. Hopefully if being human was a problem for them they would get over it and give her a chance. Her parents had passed away a few summers ago leaving her to fend for herself. Luckily her best friend's family took her in and provided her with a stable, loving home. But now she and Kagome were on their own and needed to pay the bills and put themselves through college.

Kagome's new boyfriend Inuyasha, who was a half demon, had suggested they both apply at T&S Financial, mentioning he had some pull with the company. Kagome and Rin had raised their eyebrows at him, surprised. He had said he had family in the company and left it at that. So both girls had applied and gotten interviews within a week.

Rin raised her head as she heard her front door pop open and slam shut.

"Rin!" she heard Kagome call. "RIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNN!" she screamed out again after getting no immediate answer. Rin rolled her eyes. Kami her best friend could be loud.

"I'm here Kagome! Quit screaming!" she yelled back, making her way out of her room, into the hall, and then into the kitchen. Kagome stood in front of her in a beautiful blue sundress with white polka dots. Her face and brown eyes glowed with happiness as she twirled her raven hair around her finger.

"Did you get a call yet?" Kagome asked brightly. Before Rin could answer she popped out,"I did! I got one of the intern positions! Paid!" she clapped her hands and did a happy dance across their beige carpet.

Rin wrinkled her face for a moment but relaxed and gave Kagome a supportive smile. "I haven't gotten one. Maybe they decided not to hire me." Rin lamented and threw herself across the brown suede couch in their living room. She stared at the pictures of her family and sighed wondering if they would be disappointed in her. She couldn't even manage to get an intern position.

"Oh." Kagome mumbled, looking slightly abashed at her happy outburst. "Well I'm sure you'll hear from them soon. That same woman who interviewed us, Aiko, was the one who called me. I could have sworn she didn't even like me too and I still got hired. So try not to stress." she patted Rin's arm and sat down next to her on the couch.

Suddenly Rin's phone went off. She froze, unable to move, too nervous to look and see who it was. Kagome rolled her eyes and grabbed the phone out of Rin's pocket for her and glanced at the caller ID.

"Oh my Kami, Rin! This is the same number that called me! Hurry and answer!" Kagome shrieked, tossing the phone on Rin's face.

Rin jumped as it hit her square in the forehead. Grabbing it, she gave Kagome a dirty look, and then flipped the phone open.

"Hello, Rin Minami speaking. Yes. Uh huh. Wow! Alright great! I'm so thrilled! Thanks for giving me this opportunity-" she was cut off from her words of thanks as she heard a click and the line went dead. "Well gee," she said turning to Kagome,"that lady is NOT very friendly at all."

"Ha I know right? I wonder what stick got stuck up her ass." Kagome joked. "But you got it! We are going to start working together! Hell yeah!" she lifted her hand in front of Rin and waited for a high five. Rin hesitantly smacked her hand and shook her head at her friend's silliness.

"Do you start on Monday too?" Rin asked, hoping her friend did.

"Yeah, got some sort of orientation first thing at 8AM." Kagome explained. "Not looking forward to getting up at 6:30 in the morning to get ready, but this job pays so well!"

"Shit. I have zero business attire." Rin muttered.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh perfect excuse to go shopping!" Kagome yelled with excitement.

Rin rolled her eyes but nodded. She hated shopping but was left with no choice. Kagome waited impatiently for Rin to throw some make up and decent looking clothes on. She settled on easy neutral tones for her face, not wanting to waste time and effort on fancy make up. She threw on her jeans and some sandals, hoping they paired well enough with her red t shirt.

Kagome shook her head at her friend as Rin stepped into the living room of their small apartment. "Really? Nothing cuter you could have worn? We need to find you a man, Rin! Put some effort in girlfriend!" Kagome grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door before she could protest the girl's words.

Once in the car the two girl's strapped themselves in and Rin gave Kagome a look and said,"For your information, I do too put effort in! And I don't need a boyfriend. I'm perfectly happy being single, and just watching you be with one."

Kagome huffed back,"Yeah but we can't go on double dates or anything. Inuyasha is great but he's kind of unruly. It would be nice to force him to stay in check because of another couple." she laughed and shook her head at the thought of her boyfriend. It had only been four months but something about him really made her smile.

"How 'bout we just focus on me not screwing this job thing up. Then I'll worry about boys." Rin mumbled, looking out the window at the buildings as they zoomed by them. Kagome nodded at her and they moved on to talking about how weird Inuyasha was.

"He says he mom and dad live around here. And a brother too. But he hasn't introduced us yet. You think that's weird?" Kagome asked.

"He's probably embarrassed of you, as he should be." Rin joked.

"I'm serious Rin! He's already met all my family.. mom, grandpa, Souta.. So why haven't I met his?" she pouted looking upset.

"You're putting too much thought into this Kagome. He's a guy and they just think differently. Not like he's hiding something or anything." Rin soothed. She didn't have much experience with dating or relationships so she felt a loss as to help Kagome. She was the last person to ask something like this, especially considering how her last relationship went.

Kagome slowed the car as they pulled into the parking garage of the mall. Finding a spot, she parked, nearly hitting a support pole. Shaking her head Rin got out and laughed at Kagome's poor driving skills.

"Maybe that's why he hasn't introduced you yet Kagome- he's afraid you'll kill him in a car accident first!" Rin accused with a high pitched giggle.

"Hey! Not funny!" Kagome yelled. "Come on, let's try to find something decently priced to wear in this place. It's business attire, nothing casual is allowed." Kagome began ticking off what clothes they should search for as they headed into the first store. "Pencil skirts, business suits with skirts or pants, black pants and very fancy blouses.. " Rin tuned her out as she started looking for clothes.

She gasped when she saw the prettiest collared light pink button up shirt with three quarter length sleeves hanging on the clearance rack. She dug through the tightly packed clothes and found more like it in different colors. What a deal, she thought happily. Kagome's eye brows shot up as she saw her friend already had 8 shirts, all the same style, in different colors piled up in her arms.

"Rin, seriously?" was all she said.

"Well we can share them. It's a good deal Kagome! Don't forget we're pretty poor." Rin pointed out. Kagome nodded in defeat. They mostly wore the same sizes, even in shoes, and were able to share much of their clothing.

"How about these pencil skirts? Let's get black and grey. Oh and these too!" she exclaimed, grabbing some black and grey slacks off another rack.

They shopped around, throwing a couple more button up shirts into the cart they eventually had to get. Once at the register Kagome pulled out a credit card and swiped it. Rin shook her head. She hated using those damned things but until they got their jobs in order and got paid, credit cards and some graduation money was helping them take care of things. They had just barely been able to get their apartment with Mrs. Higurashi's, Kagome's mom, help.

"Whew! I'm worn out!" Kagome said stretching and yawning.

Rin checked her watch to see it was already 7PM. "Want to just grab some dinner in the food court?" she asked Kagome hoping she'd say yes. They were both lousy cooks and meals at home were always either burnt or just plain gross.

"YES!" her friend responded, obviously thinking the same thing. They carried their bags, which were pretty heavy, and walked in the direction of the delicious smelling food.

They ordered some American cheeseburgers and sat down to eat when Rin suddenly had a realization. "Hey Kagome, look where we're at!" she told her friend.

Kagome frowned, slightly confused, but rotated her eyes around the area until it hit her as well. "Ha oh my gosh," she said with a laugh,"We're right here next to T&S Financial! I didn't even realize. I never paid it much attention, not enough to realize it was right by the mall anyway."

"Apparently they own it." Rin explained with a shrug.

"Yeah and half of Japan along with it!" Kagome spat out with a giggle. Rin joined in with her laughter when something caught her eye.

"Kagome," she whispered, her eyes growing wide with panic.

Kagome kept laughing until she saw Rin's face. "What is it Rin?" she asked, concerned. Rin nodded her head towards a table a few feet away. At it sat her ex boyfriend, Kohaku. He had always been such a sweet guy until Rin had wanted to break up after a year of dating. Then he became the biggest asshole on the planet, at least towards her.

"Kami I hope he doesn't see us." Rin moaned throwing her head down onto her arms, which rested on the table.

"Just stay calm, and do NOT look over there under any circumstances." Kagome ordered. Rin kept her head down, hoping that would be good enough.

"Let's just head out, Kagome. I'm done eating anyway." Rin moaned from under her arms.

"Oh shit," Kagome muttered in a hushed tone,"it's too late. Try to look cool!" she advised Rin. Rin shot up and saw that Kohaku was headed straight for them. She swallowed hard, nervous for what he might say. Last time they spoke he had called her a 'conniving bitch'. Which she really didn't understand. She had only wanted to break up so she could enjoy college as a single girl. She didn't love him so she felt no reason to string him along, then she really would have been a bitch. Plus he wanted to take the 'next step' which in his world meant sleeping together, something she had not been ready for at all.

"Hey Minami!" he called, already having an angry tone in his words. "Coming here to buy slut clothes for your new college boyfriends?" he taunted.

"Shut up and leave her alone you big baby!" Kagome shouted, suddenly standing to block him from coming any closer to Rin.

"Put a lid on it, Kagome." he bit out. "If I want to talk to my ex girlfriend I can, without your permission. Isn't that right Rinny?" he asked, calling her by her pet name.

"Kohaku, we really need to be getting home. Maybe we can talk another time." she said, standing as well. She started to gather her bags in her hands when Kohaku stepped in front of her and grabbed her shoulders.

"Come on Rinny. I know you miss me." he whispered, leaning forward to kiss her.

Surprised by his brazenness, Rin put her hands on his chest, pushing him away softly. "Stop, Kohaku. It's over. You need to move on and quit harassing me." she said a hint of annoyance in her tone.

"You want to fucking push me Rin?" he suddenly roared. Rin stepped back seeing he was about to lose control, yet another reason she had dumped him. He knocked chairs to the ground and over turned the table she and Kagome had been sitting at, knocking the remainder of their food to the ground.

Rin and Kagome clutched on to each other, both suddenly feeling very afraid. Kohaku continued hitting and kicking various things while his group of friends tried to calm him down.

There was a blur of silver and Kohaku was thrown to the ground out of no where. Rin and Kagome let small yelps escape their throats at the sight of his body being thrown down. In his place stood a very tall demon with long silver hair going down his back, cut into short bangs across his forehead. He wore a very expensive looking black business suit, with a dark blue shirt and gold tie underneath.

Rin found herself staring into his golden eyes and taking in the blue crescent moon on his forehead, which his bangs parted just enough to see. Two magenta stripes went across his cheeks as well as his wrists. He looked very calm and elegant, too elegant to be standing in the mall food court.

The demon bent slightly and picked Kohaku up by the collar of his shirt, setting him down. Kohaku's eyes were wide with fear but he immediately attempted to mask it. "This is none of your fucking business demon asshole." he spat out at the mysterious man.

The silver haired man's face did not change, he simply stared at his opponent for a moment before stating with an air of boredom,"I suggest you leave, human."

"And if I don't?" Kohaku asked paling slightly but continuing his tough guy facade.

"Then I will be forced to kill you. You are wasting my time, human child, and disrespecting this place of business," the man said, suddenly picking the boy up by the throat and dangling him over the ground.

Rin gasped and gripped Kagome's hand tightly. This guy wasn't playing around.

"Please," Rin heard herself say to the man. "Don't hurt him. He's just a big idiot." she told the stranger. Her voice wavered and she felt faint, but there was no way she could let Kohaku be killed right in front of her, even if he was a big jerk.

The man glanced over to her for the first time since arriving. His eyes lingered on her a moment longer before tossing the boy carelessly towards the doors of the mall. Kohaku's body skidded to a stop before them and remained there, still. The demon turned to walk away, but stopped, as he kicked an over turned chair out of his path.

"Do not return here unless you intend to pay for the damages." he called back, still in his bored, even tone. Then he walked away out of sight.

"Uhm.. thanks?" Rin called out after him. What a weirdo, she thought.

"Who the hell was that?" Kagome asked her, picking up their shopping bags from around the knocked over table.

"I don't know but I bet he made Kohaku piss on himself," Rin laughed. Although she supposed it really wasn't funny. Kohaku had just been in some serious danger. She helped Kagome with the rest of their bags and headed towards the still body by the doors. Rin saw the other boys of the group tapping Kohaku's face and calling his name. Finally he stirred and sat up, holding his head in his hand.

"Better luck next time Kohaku!" Kagome called to him as they strolled past the group and through the double doors. They found their car, after some searching, and threw all their bags in the trunk.

They finally reached home and trudged up the flight of stairs to their door. Their apartment was nice, but certainly not in the best part of town. But the neighbors were nice, both next door, and on the bottom of the complex. Rin and Kagome gave a wave to their neighbor Mr. Goto, and stepped into their shared apartment with a grateful sigh.

"It feels so good to be home! Shopping just wears me out." Rin said, tossing all her bags into her room.

"Yeah it does. Especially when your nutty ex shows up and then gets owned by a handsome stranger." Kagome giggled out in response.

"What a weirdo to just interject like that!" Rin half yelled. "And he didn't even mention us. Just that Kohaku was damaging the property. Who cares about the beautiful ladies he's attacking, right?"

Kagome snorted. "At least he handled that jackass for us. He was really freaking me out." she shook her head at the thought of what her friend's ex might have done had the stranger not stepped in.

"I really hope I don't run into him for a long time. He's so angry about everything, but he was a dick, and I dumped him for it. He shouldn't be surprised." she recounted, frowning in recollection of their time together.

"Well men are dumb. Can't expect much from them." Kagome stated blatantly.

Rin nodded in agreement thinking she would never want to be in love, ever, again.

* * *

On Monday Kagome and Rin woke up promptly at 6:30 and immediately argued over who got the bathroom first. Rin ultimately won when she pointed out it simply takes her less time so she should go first. Kagome rolled her eyes and reluctantly agreed. Rin showered and rubbed lotion on her legs and arms. She wanted to make the best first impression possible, and that included smelling nice.

Kagome practically knocked the door down trying to get in so Rin went to her own room to finish her routine. First came her matching set of black panties and a bra that made her C cups look like D's. She sat down in front of her floor length mirror trying to decide what to do with herself to make her look good.

She softly dusted her eyes with eye shadow, giving herself a smokey eye with a brown palette. She layered her mascara on trying to get her lashes to look long and thick. Next came some eye liner, followed by foundation. She hated to wear so much make up but in was necessary in order to give herself that older, professional look she wanted.

After coating her lips with a soft coral pink lip stick she stared at her reflection and liked what she saw, minus her hair, which was a mess. Picking up her brush and blow dryer she dried the remaining wet spots and pulled out her curling iron. Twenty minutes later her long hair fell in soft spirals down her back. She nodded in approval at her reflection deciding she was done.

She stepped over to her closet and pulled out a light purple, long sleeved, button down sweater. It would pair nicely with a white tank top and black pants she decided. After pulling her clothes on and slipping her plain black flats onto her small feet she sighed, relieved she was done with ten minutes to spare.

Walking out of her room with the intention of getting some breakfast she knocked into Kagome. Kagome's hair was pulled into a simple chignon and she wore grey slacks and a light blue collared shirt. She now stood 2 inches above Rin because of the black heels she had put on.

"Looking good, Kagome." Rin said with a smile.

"You too! But we better head out.. like right now!" Kagome huffed out in a slight panic. "We can't be late. Not on the first damn day!"

"But what about break-" Rin started but Kagome shook her head and threw a packaged muffin at her head.

"All we got time for! Let's go!" Kagome hollered, gathering both girls purses and walking out the door.

Rin stared after her and then down at the muffin in her hands. It had expired two days ago. Sighing sadly, she followed her friend out the door and down the stairs in defeat.

The drive was only twenty minutes and they arrived early. Rin gave Kagome an evil glare and pointed out the extra time they had before orientation started.

"Oh heh," Kagome laughed nervously. "You know what they say and all.. better early than late."

"Well you know what my stomach says?" Rin asked her. Kagome shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. Rin smiled and said coldly,"It says fuck you."

Both girls laughed and got out of the car. The building had a huge parking deck with at least six different levels. They made their way to the elevator and Rin pushed the star button to get the lobby. The elevator took off with two very nervous young women gripping the bars with sweaty palms.

"Just remember that all the girls with us are in the same boat." Kagome told Rin.

Rin nodded as they stepped off the lift and entered the lobby. She could already spot a small group of well dressed girls, about four, gathering by some double doors around a table. She and Kagome walked up and saw name tags sitting on the smooth table cloth. After finding theirs they turned around saw the woman who had interviewed them standing in the front of the group, gathering everyone's attention.

"Hello, ladies! I am Aiko Hayashi, though I'm sure most of you remember me from the interview process. Today I'm going to show you around the building, explain your duties, assign your superiors, and hand out parking passes and other information you will need to survive as an intern here. Please keep up, and do not get separated from the group. We may never find you." the red haired woman half joked. Though it put a look of fear on most of the girl's faces.

She started walking, beckoning the group to follow her. "This is obviously the lobby. Mail room is on floor 14, you will need to remember that. Anyone and everything important is going to be above floor 15. This is one of T&S's smaller buildings in Tokyo, but the home base for the companies founders and partners.." Aiko droned on about the history of the place while pointing out different floors that the new interns needed to remember but Rin found herself cutting her voice out and instead looking around the huge lobby and it's fine decor.

Aiko motioned for them to follow her onto the elevator. It was different than the one carrying people up from the parking decks and Rin took a nervous step back from the edge when she realized this one was glass, and completely see through. Kagome shot her a look and pushed her over the threshold. Aiko hit the button with 20 neatly stamped on it and they whirred upwards.

Rin felt nervous, she didn't much like heights and the last thing she needed was to watch how high they were through the glass. She turned away from the front and tried to focus on the loose string hanging from Kagome's shirt. Finally after several moments they arrived at floor twenty.

Aiko stepped off first, waiting for the rest of the interns to step off before speaking. "This is where the founders of the company are located. You were the best and brightest of those interviewing so it has been decided you will begin interning here. Everything you are asked to do will be important to the success of this company. Taking notes will be one of your main priorities. Whether it be for a secretary concerning what will be needed to impress a client or for Toga Taisho himself. And for those of you wondering, he is the head of this company and I am his secretary."

The six girls nodded, eyes wide with their new found responsibilities. They walked further into the office space and saw a few desks with well dressed men and women behind them. To the right was a huge room with glass windows enclosing it, a gigantic wooden table with plush leather chairs surrounding it. What seemed to be a small waiting area sat to the front of the room with some chairs and tables full of magazines.

Suddenly the elevator dinged and the doors open, letting three silver haired demons off, followed by a few dark haired men. All of them were dressed in tailored black business suits and ties. Except for one, who Kagome and Rin immediately recognized. Their eyes widened at the silver haired boy with cute puppy dog ears winking at them with his index finger to his lips. He wore black pants with a collared red button up shirt, the top three buttons were left undone and his sleeves were neatly rolled showing his muscular forearms.

Kagome mouthed a very expressive 'what the fuck' to him which he shrugged at as they walked by the group. Rin gripped Kagome's hand and nodded towards the man walking in front of Inuyasha, taking her attention away from her smirking boyfriend. There, in his fancy suit, was the same demon who had taken care of Kohaku for them. But before the girls could get a closer look another man stepped in their line of vision, patting Aiko on the shoulder.

"A fine looking bunch, if you ask me Aiko. You did well." he said to her with a sweet smile. All eyes turned to the man with long silver hair pulled back into a tight pony tail, high on his head. His bangs grazed his eyebrows and his cheeks held one blue line each. He was very handsome and had an air of authority radiating from him like no one Rin had ever seen before.

"Hello new friends," he boomed with a grin. "Welcome to T&S financial. I assume Aiko has filled you in on your duties. I am Toga Taisho, founder of the company. My sons, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha are my partners. Feel free to come to any one of us if there are any problems. Good luck ladies." he finished and headed after his sons towards the meeting room.

Rin's eyes flickered in the direction of the man who had helped her and figured he must be Sesshomaru. He turned his head back slightly, just in time to meet her eyes. She blushed and turned her attention back to Aiko, who was assigning two of them each between the three men.

"You will answer to their secretaries and/or assistants. Kagome and Chie, you're assigned to Inuyasha. Emiko and Hana you will be assisting Toga himself. And finally, Rin and Mi you will be with Sesshomaru. Any questions?" she asked.

When none of the girls responded she nodded. "Well then, the men are in a meeting currently so go to their secretaries and receive your first assignments. Emiko and Hana follow me." she ordered. Two of the girls stepped in line behind her and they went to her desk, which was settled to the side of a large door, which must have lead to Toga's office.

Rin and Kagome exchanged nervous glances and waved to each other as they went to their respective areas. Rin peered into the room where Inuyasha and his brother sat. Sesshomaru looked bored and simply stared coldly at the man speaking before him. His eyes flicked over to the staring Rin, catching her once again. She turned away hurriedly and made for his secretary with Mi.

This was going to be a very interesting job.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Y'all don't get too excited! I definitely do not plan on updating every single day, but I already had this chapter written. I hope you enjoy it.  
I also find Sesshomaru an incredibly difficult character to write and keep in character. Which I'm trying to do. So I'm doing my best, just so you know. And thank you for the fav/follows/reviews. It means a lot and really encourages me to keep going. **

* * *

With the work day finally over Rin and Kagome walked back to their shared car, completely exhausted. Rin had been asked to make copies of different files early in the day and it had taken her until the end of the day to complete. She hadn't seen Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, or their father for the entire day. Unlike Kagome, who apparently spent the afternoon making out with her new boss.

"So what all did Inuyasha say?" Rin asked, hoping to get her mind off his mysterious brother.

"That he didn't know how to tell me he was a partner at the biggest financial company in all of Japan so he figured he'd let me find out this way. I was annoyed at first but.. he made it up to me." Kagome turned pink as she let out a little giggle.

"Yeah I bet he did. Still, what a punk lying to us like that. I was completely blown away when I saw him walk into that conference room." Rin admitted.

"Oh I was too! He normally wears t-shirts and jeans when we're together. Seeing him in a suit was so different. Well.. maybe not a suit, but more dressed up." she explained. "Apparently, he's really not into the company very much but is involved to please his father. Who, by the way, seems so nice."

"He really does. I bet he'll figure out exactly who you are and why you were hired pretty quick though if you and Inuyasha keep disappearing into his office." Rin told her with a grin.

Kagome blushed deeply and hung her head in guilt. "I know. But what a turn on to see him like that and find out he's my boss now! No wonder we got the jobs." she muttered.

They got in the car and began the drive home, both silent and lost in their thoughts the entire way. After grabbing some take out, they headed home. Dinner was eaten quickly and they said their good nights, both ready to crawl into their beds after a long day of new experiences.

The alarm went off bright and early at 6:30 though, and they started their new routine all over again. Today Rin did her make up the same way and pulled her hair into a pony tail high on her head. She had teased her hair to give herself a fashionable bouffant and felt very pretty. She decided to wear the pink button up blouse with sleeves ending at her elbows matched with a grey pencil skirt that rested high on her waist. She pulled out nude pumps and pulled them on knowing her feet would be killing her by the end of the day.

She rushed into the kitchen trying to beat Kagome and her mad rush to get to work early. She ate a banana quickly and drank some orange juice, smiling when Kagome appeared. Her friend wore black slacks with a dark green shirt and was letting her hair fall loose today.

After arriving to the office they headed their separate ways with a wave to each other. Rin watched Kagome walk straight up to Inuyasha's office door and knock, receiving glares from Chie and Inuyasha's secretary, Kimiko. Inuyasha opened the door and pulled her inside. Rin rolled her eyes. Could they be anymore obvious?

Rin waved at her partner Mi as she arrived at Sora's desk. She was Sesshomaru's, or rather Mr. Taisho's, secretary and was a half demon with short faded blue hair and icey blue eyes. She wasn't at her desk, leaving Rin and Mi feeling lost on what they should do. They gave each other a nervous look as they spotted Mr. Taisho walking towards them. Mi already seemed to be a nervous person by nature, twirling her black hair in her fingers, letting her dark brown eyes flit around the room at everyone else.

Mr. Taisho wore a grey suit with a light blue shirt underneath. A very light yellow tie with tiny red dots hung around his neck and his hair hung loosely, trailing down his back. His eyes narrowed at the two girls.

"Where is Sora?" Mr. Taisho asked the girls in a cold voice.

"Uhm we don't know sir." Mi answered back meekly.

Mr. Taisho narrowed his eyes at her before saying "You will sit at her desk and answer calls until she arrives." he directed her. Mi nodded and quickly sat down at the ebony desk. Rin gave her a worried glance, knowing she probably had no idea what she was doing. She moved her eyes back to Mr. Taisho and found that he had set his amber eyes on her. She gulped and looked down, waiting for him to speak.

"Come with me." was all he said and Rin complied, following him into his office. She gaped at how huge the room was. It was as wide as a basketball court, at least, with blinds covering the windows to the outside offices, giving him privacy from prying eyes. The back half of the room where his desk sat was against the windows of the building and Rin eyed the skyline nervously seeing how high up they were.

His desk was a dark walnut color, with curved feet, and a very old fashioned feel. Papers were stacked neatly on top and an organizer held multiple pens and other office supplies. An extra piece attached to the desk held a fax machine and printer combination for his own personal use and a laptop sat above it, open and ready to go. On the wall to her left sat two thin swords that looked to be centuries old. She stared at them in awe. A few paintings hung around them of dog demons with silver fur. She realized he must be a dog demon like Inuyasha of course and smiled at the paintings wondering if they were supposed to be him.

On the wall to her right hung different degrees and certificates from fancy business schools. Apparently he held his master's in three different areas. Rin gasped in awe at how much the man had accomplished. Mr. Taisho watched her for a moment before clearing his throat and asking, "What is your name, girl?" in a harsh tone.

Startled, Rin snapped her eyes back to him and said softly, "I'm Rin Minami, sir."

"Ms. Minami. I want you to take notes on the meeting I'm about to have. You will sit over there," he motioned to the corner next to him where a computer sat, "and type my exchange with the fool who is about to arrive, for our records."

"I.." Rin started but felt as if she had been struck mute suddenly. He was so beautiful for a man and she longed to run her hands through his hair. Damn, he was distracting. She shook her head to clear it and quickly said,"I can do that, no problem, Mr. Taisho."

He gave her a short nod and she sat down at the desk in front of the computer. The desk was very small, nothing more than four legs and a flat top for the computer to sit on. She ran her hands over the keyboard, noticing the word processor program was already open and ready to be used. She sat quietly in the corner as a man burst through the door, her eyes widened but she stayed silent hoping to impress Mr. Taisho.

Sesshomaru rose and met the man as he slammed the door shut. "Calm yourself, Akira." he said lowly with a slight growl. Rin's ears perked up hearing the growl and she looked over at the man in disbelief. Who growled at their fellow business men? Apparently dog demons. Mr. Taisho told the man to sit in one of the large chairs before his desk, before sitting behind it himself.

"Ms. Minami, take notes." her new employer said to her, not even looking in her direction. As the two men spoke about some business deal, she typed the words, her fingers flying across the keyboard. She let her mind wander slightly, hearing the words and composing them to the screen, but not really listening. She was brought from her mind by a loud smack against wood. Her head whipped up to see Mr. Taisho had slammed the man's head against his wooden desk, knocking him out cold.

Rin jumped up and ran over to the man, checking to make sure he had a pulse, before rolling him on his back. She looked helplessly up at Sesshomaru, who only returned to his position behind his desk. Rin gaped at him in shock, unsure of what to say. He obviously planned on leaving the unconscious man to her so she rose to her feet and walked briskly to the door. Opening it slightly she called to Mi.

"Uhm Mi, I think you should probably call emergency services.. and then have security help this man down to meet them." she ordered, her voice wavering slightly. Apparently she was working for a violent psycho. She shut the door and turned back to her boss, leaning against the wood for support. She felt faint at the sight of him sitting so calmly, continuing his paperwork, as if the man he just knocked out wasn't lying in front of him.

"Excuse me, sir?" she said softly, getting Mr. Taisho's attention.

"Yes, Ms. Minami?" he responded.

She gave him a glare before raising her voice to say,"Uhm what the hell?"

He simply looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Why the hell did you do that, Mr. Taisho? You were talking one minute and the next you were slamming him around like a rag doll!" she yelled, her pent up fear taking over.

Mr. Taisho rose and walked towards her until he was inches from her face. "Do not raise your voice to me, little girl." he commanded her in a low tone. "I am Sesshomaru Taisho, future ruler of the West and partner of this company. I will do as I please." he finished, his voice remaining even. Rin trembled before him, trying to keep her composure. A knock came, startling her. She turned her back on Mr. Taisho, opening the door and security barreled past her like she wasn't there at all. They nodded at their boss as they picked the unconscious man up off the floor and carried him out, closing the door behind them.

"Ms. Minami, that man has been stealing from this company for two years. He is lucky I let him live at all. Were you paying no attention to what was being said?" he asked her, his tone still bored and cold.

"Well, not really. And I'm not sure theft warrants you slamming his face around." she replied, a look of horror on her face. What was wrong with this man?

Mr. Taisho continued to stare at her and then simply made a sound of, "Hn." Rin gawked at him when he went back to his paperwork. She stalked over to the computer, saved her notes, and slammed the top of it down.

"Ms. Minami." the man called from behind her right as she made it to the door. She looked back slightly at him and he continued. "Unlike your friend, you aren't fucking someone at this company. I suggest you do your job with a smile."

Rin whirled back to look at him as he spoke the words, her mouth hanging open.

"Yes, I'm well aware about my little brother and your friend. He has gone to great lengths to make it obvious to everyone in the building as to why your friend was hired." he explained coolly.

All of a sudden Rin busted out laughing. She giggled until she couldn't breathe. She saw Mr. Taisho raise a delicate eyebrow at her as she slid to the floor against his office door, tears of laughter running down her cheeks. She wasn't sure what was so funny exactly, other than the entire company knowing Kagome was being a whore with her boss. Which wasn't entirely funny.

After a few moments she calmed herself, wiping the corners of her eyes. A pale hand held a small cup out to her. She looked up and saw Mr. Taisho offering it to her, a look of indifference sketched into his handsome features.

She accepted it, blushing over her outburst. "I'm sorry, Mr. Taisho. I think I'm a little bit emotional right now. Seeing you slam that guy's head into your desk really freaked me out." she confessed.

"You may call me Lord Sesshomaru, if you wish." he said, completely ignoring her comment about the head slamming incident. Her eyes widened. What an arrogant prick. Lord? Really?

"Is that a demon thing?" she asked, confused.

"Yes." was all he said in return.

She nodded, sipping on her water. "How old are you, Lord Sesshomaru?" she inquired, inwardly rolling her eyes at calling him that.

"500. But humans would consider me 28 years of age." he answered.

"Well then, call me Rin. All the Ms. Minami stuff kind of weirds me out too." she admitted. thinking so did his age. "And about Kagome and Inuyasha, does everyone really know?"

"Yes." came his simple answer again.

"You're not very talkative Lord Sesshomaru." she stated to him plainly while standing up and dusting her butt off.

His response was only a look of disinterest before saying, "Sora will not be returning, Rin. Tomorrow you will take over her duties as my secretary."

Rin's eyes widened and she gasped out, "But I have no idea-" he held up his hand and cut her off.

"Tomorrow."

And that was that. He dismissed her from his office just by giving her a certain look. She stepped out into the shared office space and saw Mi frantically moving around the secretary's desk in panic.

"What's wrong, Mi?" Rin asked, concern in her voice.

Mi looked up and burst into tears. "I have no idea what I'm doing!" she cried out, falling into Rin's arms. "None of the calls I try to patch through to Mr. Taisho are actually going through. I think I keep sending them to his father! People keep placing papers on the desk, that I assume are for him to sign but I knocked them over and they scattered everywhere." she explained, huffing her words out between wails. "They said we'd be taking notes and making copies! I'm not ready for this." she wailed again, shaking her head.

Rin patted her back. "Look, go get some lunch, and I'll see if I can handle stuff here, okay?" she offered, hoping it would calm the girl. Mi nodded and immediately scurried towards the elevator.

Rin turned to look at the desk and shook her head at the pile of papers strewn about. She took a closer look and saw that many of them required Sesshomaru's signature. From what she had already learned about him, this would displease him greatly. She quickly organized the papers, setting them aside to hand him later.

She answered all phone calls and directed them quickly and neatly to her boss's office. Maybe she could do this after all. It didn't seem too bad.

Finally it was time to go home and Rin let out a breath of relief. Sesshomaru opened his office door and walked by her without saying a word. She watched him go, slightly annoyed. If only he knew the mess she had just saved him from today. 'Oh well', she thought, and gathered her things to meet Kagome, with a wave goodbye to Mi.

She swiveled around the office in search of her best friend and felt dismayed when she stepped out of Inuyasha's office with him. She was going to freak out when Rin told her what Sesshomaru had said. Rin waved to the happy couple, who gave each other a quick peck on the lips, before saying goodbye. Kagome picked up her pace to get to Rin and they headed into the elevator together.

"So," Rin said, trying to sound nonchalant, "have a good day? Finding your job enjoyable?" she asked Kagome.

Her friend wrinkled her brow in suspicious before saying,"Yeah. It's..uhm.. fun."

"Yeah, I bet it is Kagome. And the entire building knows exactly why it's fun and how much of this fun you're having." she said calmly, waiting for her friend's reaction.

Kagome turned about fifty shades of red while stuttering incoherently. Finally she bit out,"HOW?"

"I guess Inuyasha made it obvious enough. Sesshomaru mentioned everyone knowing." she explained.

"What the hell? His brother mentioned it? Great." Kagome put her head against the elevator wall in depression as they came to a halt and the doors slid open. "Speaking of Sesshomaru Taisho," Kagome continued, recovering from her embarassment,"I have some information on him too."

"Oh really?" Rin said, trying to feign disinterest. "Like what?"

"Well apparently he is heir to the Western Lands, which Toga currently rules. It's basically just how they decided which demons the Taisho's rule over and keep in line. They still answer to their own laws, ya know. And he is a real asshole. Real quiet, but deadly, if he wants to be." Kagome gushed out in one breath.

"Ha yeah I got the memo about the quiet thing. And deadly. Today he slammed some guys face into his desk like it was no big deal. It really freaked me out. Oh by the way, he made me his secretary too." Rin said with a laugh, explaining her strange day.

"Well good luck with that." Kagome said shaking her head. "He definitely sounds difficult. Inuyasha says they've never gotten along. Only started being able to be around each other maybe 100 years ago. Before that Sesshomaru would try to kill him. Over a lame sword or something." Kagome whispered the last part like she was afraid of him overhearing or something.

Rin thought back to the swords on his office wall. He did seem to like swords so maybe she shouldn't be surprised by all this new information.

"But," Kagome started, interrupting Rin's thoughts,"either way he is still super hot. And I'm pretty sure all the other interns, besides me of course, envy you."

"Envies me having to spend the majority of my day catering to an arrogant dog?" Rin said with disbelief. "Yeah, what luck I have," she whispered, her voice dripping with sarcasm as they got into their car.

"Oh let me tell you too, the whole dog demon thing is so weird!" her friend continued as if Rin hadn't said the last part about luck. "Inuyasha keeps telling me I have a 'scent' and I smell a certain way. He says it's part of what attracts him to me. AND," she said loudly, her eyes growing wide,"apparently they can smell when you're nervous, lying, or.. Kami, turned on!"

Rin's mouth dropped. Then there was keeping zero secrets from these demons basically. No wonder they were such good business men. She shook her head, trying to keep the red tint in her face from being seen.

"What?" Kagome asked her with concern. "Oh my Kami are you turned on by him!?" Kagome squealed with glee.

"NOOOO." Rin yelled back, crossing her arms with a huff. "Just awkward thinking they can tell all that. Trust me, not attracted to him in the least bit. He is handsome, but such a jerk!"

She said the words with such conviction Kagome laughed at her and nodded, dropping it for the rest of the night.

Rin wanted to cry as she crawled into her bed later that night. It was going to be one hell of a long week adjusting to her new job and her all knowing boss.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning Rin nervously searched her closet for the perfect outfit. She wasn't just an intern now, she was a secretary, meeting her boss's clients and ushering them into his office or into the conference room. She needed to look extra professional, which she could afford with the pay she would receive now. Pulling a form fitting creamy mauve dress from her closet she nodded in approval. It curved neatly around her chest, just above her breasts and the sleeves hugged her arms down to her elbows. The hem ended a bit before her knees, molding to the curve of her hips and butt perfectly.

She styled her hair, curling it loosely, letting it fall down her back, before heavily painting her eye lids in natural tones. After finding some creamy looking pumps with a large rounded toe and thin heels she grabbed her things and headed out to get some breakfast.

She and Kagome sat at the table silently, nothing heard but the crunch of the cheerios they were eating. Finally Kagome looked up and said proudly, "I've decided not to go into Inuyasha's office with him today. I'm going to demand he give me some real work to do."

Rin looked at her blankly for a moment before bursting out with laughter. "Well what is it you two are doing in there exactly, Kagome? Hot make out sessions or full on fucking?"

Kagome's eyebrows shot up at Rin's blatant question. She stumbled to put her answer together finally settling on a simple, "Both."

Rin laughed again, her arms holding her stomach, trying to control herself. Finally catching her breath she said "Sorry Kagome, I couldn't help myself. Just tell him you feel bad and want to do some real work like you are getting paid to do. Unless he hired you for sex, in which case you're being a real hooker."

Kagome sent Rin a glare and shook her head."Shut up Rin. Really."

Rin burst into a new fit of laughter and waved at Kagome's retreating back. Throwing both her and Kagome's dirty dishes into the sink they headed out the door, Rin trailing a still angry Kagome.

The drive to work was silent, each woman lost in their own thoughts. Rin snapped Kagome from her mind as she yelled,"WAIT! Pull into Starbucks!"

Kagome whipped around to give her friend a 'what the fuck' look. "Sorry girl, just thought I should get Sesshomaru some coffee. Suck up to him."

Kagome's mouth dropped before gleefully shouting, "Sesshomaru!? First name basis, huh?"

"What? NO. No. In fact he wants me to call him Lord Sesshomaru. What an arrogant bastard." she explained with a roll of her eyes.

"Yeah, right. Well lets go through the drive through. What do you think he'd like?" Kagome asked.

"Uhm.. black coffee maybe? He doesn't seem like the type to want sugar in his coffee.. or anywhere near him for that matter. Might rub off on him and make him be a little nicer, Kami forbid." Rin told Kagome with a giggle.

Kagome nodded her understanding and ordered the drink as well as a caramel apple spice for Rin. Letting Rin slip her a five to pay for the drinks, they headed to the T&S Financial building.

Stepping off the elevator the girls gave each other a sympathetic wave, each whispering 'good luck' to the other. Rin saw that Sesshomaru's door was open and she headed towards it, resting her body against the frame of the door until he noticed her.

Looking up his eyes lingered on her for a moment before looking back down to his paperwork.

"Yes?" he asked her.

"What kind of secretary would I be if I didn't bring my boss coffee?" she responded, flashing him her biggest smile.

"I do not like coffee," he stated apathetically, not bothering to look up.

"Ok.. well maybe you'll like this coffee. Just try it." she paused waiting for him to react. When he said nothing she let out a small, fragile, "Please?"

The demon sighed, looking at her, before giving her a wave to enter. She crossed into his office, walking the ten feet to his desk on the other side of the room. She sat the still warm cup down in front of him and stood before the desk, waiting.

He looked at the cup and then back up to her hopeful face. Realizing she wasn't going to be leaving until he tried it, he lifted the cup to his lips and gave it a taste. Giving her a blank look he said, "I tried it. Now kindly leave my office and take phone calls."

Rin stared at him for a moment before sighing and giving up. Sipping her drink pointedly, she turned on her heel and left the room, letting the door shut a little more loudly than she should have.

The day dragged by slowly. Rin watched as Kagome left Inuyasha's office with a red face and stack of papers to be copied. Rin shot her a double thumbs up and Kagome's blush deepened as she rushed past to get to the copy machine down the hall.

Rin glanced at the clock and saw it was only eleven. Crap, she thought it was at least one and time for lunch. Her stomach grumbled slightly and she swatted at it as if her motion would cease it's whines.

She heard a man clear his throat. Glancing up she met the gaze of a handsome demon. He had black hair, pulled back into a short pony tail at the nape of his neck. He wore somewhat grungy clothes and a thick brown tail swished from his backside. Rin let her eyes scan over him for a moment in surprise before shaking herself mentally.

"How can I help you, sir?" she asked him politely.

"I'm Koga, famous photographer. Maybe ya heard of me?" he boasted.

Rin scrunched her face slightly, about to pop out a quick 'no' before realizing that may be insulting. She settled on telling him she thought she had heard his name before. The demon nodded eagerly at her response.

"Well beautiful, I'm here to shoot a couple of pictures with Sesshomaru Taisho for Nikkei Business. We're doing a spread on the number one most eligible bachelor in Tokyo in the business world." he clarified with a charming smile. "He should be expecting me."

Rin pulled up Sesshomaru's schedule on her computer and saw that Koga was indeed in the eleven o'clock slot, but instead of his name someone had typed in 'intolerable wolf demon'. She stifled a giggle. Sesshomaru was definitely expecting him. Picking up her phone she hit the button connecting her to Sesshomaru's office phone.

"Yes?" she heard him say on the other end of the line.

"Sir, Koga's here to do that photo shoot." she told him, suppressing another giggle as she heard a growl.

"Send him in, Rin." he said before clicking the phone down angrily.

Rin gave Koga a smile before ushering him towards the door. "Right this way, Mr. Koga."

She opened the door to find Sesshomaru sitting behind his desk still, with a menacing glare pointed in their direction. She gave him a face that she hoped said 'please be nice' but if he got the memo, he ignored it. Rin turned to walk out as the men began their pleasantries, which she could tell were extremely difficult on Sesshomaru's part. He obviously didn't like this wolf one bit.

"Hey, wait!"Koga called to her back. "Why don't you stay and help us out?" he asked her, a gleam in his eyes.

"Help you?" she echoed, letting her confusion show through.

"Yeah. I need a spotter. Just kinda watch the shoot and point out anything that might ruin a good shot." he explained coolly with a shrug of his shoulders. "Stuff like his 'perfect' hair being out of place, wrinkled tie, etc."

Rin glanced to her boss to see his face remained as uncaring as ever. He voiced no objection and didn't seem to care so she gave a small nod. Situating herself off to the side behind Koga she watched as the man gave Sesshomaru directions.

First he ordered the 'eligible bachelor' over to the window to get a shot of him looking out the window thoughtfully. Rin snorted as Koga told the dog demon to look like he wants to find his true love. Yeah right, like he would even care to.

Next Koga mussed Sesshomaru's tie and hair, earning an annoyed glare and growl. "Look sultry." Koga directed. "Try to seduce through your eyes." Rin tilted her chin slightly at that direction. Not as if the man had to do much 'trying' to look sexy and seductive. Koga snapped away, making Sesshomaru try a million different poses.

Finally after an hour, getting tired of the wolf Sesshomaru told him,"You're trying my patience, Koga."

"Okay, okay! Just a few more of you in front of your desk, maybe sitting on it. But let's straighten you out." he said, moving towards Sesshomaru to fix his disheveled tie from earlier. Sesshomaru growled at the hands coming towards him and moved back closer to his desk.

"Hey dog boy, calm down. Just doing my job here." he said recoiling back slightly in fear. Sesshomaru was known to lash out and the wolf did not want to lose any body parts today.

Before Sesshomaru could say anything Rin cleared her throat loudly. "Alright boys. Let's calm down." she scolded the two men. The demons did not take their eyes of each other but finally Sesshomaru looked from Koga to Rin as she appeared in front of him. She ran her hand through his hair to neaten it out while he stared at her impassively. She glanced up to his face, slightly surprised he was letting her do it since she had gotten the feeling he didn't really like her.

His eyes met with hers, staring into them as her small hands moved down to his dark blue tie, which rested against a creamy off white shirt. She pulled the knot up to tighten it around his neck, straightening the tail as she pulled. For a moment she got caught up in his gaze, letting herself sink into his amber orbs, when she was taken aback by the clicking of a camera.

Whirling around she saw Koga jumping around, snapping pictures, saying "Oh that's great guys."

"Now Sesshomaru, place your hand on her waist, gently, not too hard, and turn and look at each other again." he directed.

Rin turned pink. How long had they been staring at each other like that? A baritone voice filled her ears and she turned her nose up at it's words.

"I thought this was a solo shoot Koga. I'm an _eligible bachelor_ after all." Sesshomaru pointed out, obviously losing even more patience.

"Just go with the flow you two. It's art. You never know when these pictures may come in handy or how they could relate to the article." Koga shot back, slightly miffed. He tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for them to follow his directions. Sesshomaru growled at him, but placed his left hand on Rin's hip.

She blushed furiously and suddenly found it difficult to think. He was touching her. And Kami did his hand feel strong and domineering. The feeling made her head spin and she reached her hand back up to his chest. Wait? What? She felt panic rush through her her body when she realized her hand was now placed on his chest, feeling his toned muscles beneath it. Why would she do that?

"Good, Rin, straighten his tie again. Great thinking. You could easily be a model." Koga cooed to her, saving her from severe embarrassment, though he did not know it. She silently thanked him and cleared her throat.

"Yeah, I'm just that good." she joked back, trying to play off the movement as premeditated. Koga snapped away and she found herself sneaking peeks up at Sesshomaru's face. She moved her eyes upwards, only to find them looking directly into his once again. Neither of them moved, Rin frozen in fear, and Sesshomaru just staring down at her with his usual stoic features.

"Alright, that's a wrap!" Koga yelled to them, a little louder than necessary, already moving to gather his equipment back up.

Sesshomaru made no move and Rin found herself wondering what he was thinking. Finally, after deciding she must look like a total creep, she stepped back from him, letting his hand fall to his side.

"Uhm, well that was really.. fun." she told Sesshomaru. "Thanks for letting me.. sit in.. on it." she trailed off. When he made no move and instead sat on the front of his desk, she gave Koga a sweet smile and practically ran out the door.

Swiftly walking to the bathroom she collided with a hard mass and nearly fell back onto the floor. Feeling dazed, she glared up, only to see she had run into Inuyasha, with a disarrayed Kagome trailing behind him.

"Shit, Rin, sorry." Inuyasha said, gripping her arm to keep her steady.

"Are you okay, hon? You look flushed." Kagome asked, concern in her voice. If only she knew. Which she would later but for now Rin nodded hoping her best friend wouldn't push any further.

Inuyasha walked away towards Sesshomaru's office leaving the two girls conveniently alone.

"Seriously, Rin. What's wrong?" Kagome whispered, lightly grazing her arm in comfort.

"Oh shit Kagome. Just had a really awkward run in with Sesshomaru," Rin muttered back. "We touched. His hand was on my hip." At Kagome's wide eyes and smirk Rin quickly added,"For a photo shoot. The photographer basically used me as a prop but-" she cut short, feeling nervous someone with sensitive demon ears might over hear.

"Well why don't you join me and Inuyasha for lunch? We'll talk about this later." Kagome said with a wink. Of course she was going to make this a big deal. Rin rolled her eyes and gave a nod.

"That sounds good. I definitely need to get out of this office for a bit." Rin replied with a sigh.

"Hey Kagome, hope you don't mind but I invited Sesshomaru to lunch with us. Just a few business details we need to talk about real quick." Inuyasha shouted over to his girlfriend from Sesshomaru's office door.

Rin shot Kagome a death glare, leaving Kagome to fumble with excuses, but finally she just nodded in acceptance. Kagome gave Rin an apologetic look as the silver haired brothers walked towards them.

"Uh Rin is joining us too. At least now we'll be a foursome. Like a double date!" Kagome slipped out, causing Rin to nearly die right there on the spot.

"I do not date." Sesshomaru said, giving her a hard look. Rin and Kagome exchanged glances before giving nervous giggles and assuring him Kagome had been joking. Sesshomaru ignored them and hit the down button for the elevator.

The doors opened and he waited for the rest of the group to get on, holding his arm in front of the door to insure it wouldn't begin closing before they were settled. Rin stepped in front of him with a mumbled 'thanks', feeling the urge to reach out and touch his chest again. She mentally slapped herself. Was she insane? He was her boss and a really big jerk to boot. The last thing she should be doing was feeling the urge to touch him. In any way.

Kagome and Inuyasha chattered the entire ride to the lobby, giving Rin's already pounding head a more intense throb.

"Where were you guys thinking we should go?" Kagome asked Inuyasha.

"Well I wanted to take you somewhere fancy. Hope ya don't mind." Inuyasha told her with a smile.

"I did not agree to lunch with you to sit in on your..'date'." Sesshomaru interjected, his eyes narrowing at his little brother.

"Oh relax, Sesshomaru. It ain't a date. Just taking some classy ladies, to a classy lunch." Inuyasha muttered, his ears twitching in annoyance.

Rin looked between the two and felt awkward. Of course Inuyasha would turn this into some sort of thing to impress Kagome and now she and Sesshomaru were dragged into it. Just what she wanted. A stretch of black brought her eyes back into focus and she gasped at the sight of the huge limousine in front of her.

She had never ridden in one before, not even to prom. She tried to contain her excitement as a driver got out, walking around to their side of the limo. He opened the door for them with a polite dip of his head. The group climbed in, the men letting the women slide in first. Inuyasha settled beside Kagome, placing his arm around her shoulders and nuzzling her neck.

Rin looked away, wishing there was a partition between her and her friends instead of them and the driver. Sesshomaru seemed to be thinking the same thing as he gave Inuyasha an annoyed scowl and turned to look out the window. Rin looked over to him, wishing she were brave enough to chat with him, but his tight posture and annoyed look was not inviting in the least.

After twenty or so minutes the limo pulled up to a very fancy restaurant. The doors were settled between two marble pillars and once they got inside Rin stared in awe at the shimmering walls and huge fountain in the middle of the room. The hostess seated them and handed out menus, which Rin couldn't even read. A different language was scrawled across it's pages. She glanced around to her fellow companions. No one else had picked up a menu and she inwardly groaned.

She noticed Sesshomaru watching her and threw her menu onto the table with a smile, trying to hide her uncertainty and the fact she had no idea what to do in such a nice restaurant. After a few moments of her pretending to take in the decor, the waitress finally came back to take their orders.

Inuyasha ordered for both he and Kagome in french, saving Kagome the worries that her best friend had. Rin stared dumbly at the waitress when it was her turn to order.

"Uhhhm. I'll have.." Rin trailed off, wanting to sink down in her chair until she was far enough to hide under the table.

"She will have what I'm having." Sesshomaru cut in, not even looking to Rin. "_Choucroute garnie _followed by_ Pain au chocolat. _We will both have a glass of your best _merlot_.

Rin let out the breath she had been holding. Much to her surprise, Sesshomaru had stepped in and saved the day. She mouthed 'thank you' to him, which he gave a small nod at and went back to sitting in front of her silently.

"Well if you'll excuse me," Inuyasha began, breaking the silence,"I gotta hit the john."

Rin and Kagome both face palmed at his words. Just like Inuyasha to start off sounding polite and end inappropriately. Sesshomaru shook his head at his little brother and continued to sit in silence once he left.

After a few moments Kagome gave Rin a small smile and said, "I'm going to go uh.. check on him."

The words earned her a suspicious eyebrow raise from both of her remaining dinner companions. She excused herself and scurried away from the table.

"They can be so gross." Rin lamented, out loud, though not to anyone in particular. To her surprise Sesshomaru responded.

"Inuyasha has no couth. And never will. Your friend would be better off realizing that now." he said coolly, taking a sip of his water.

"I don't think that's true. They are gross, but still a cute couple." Rin said, suddenly feeling defensive of Kagome and her dating choices.

"Hn," he snorted out.

They sat together for a another minute or two before Rin realized she never properly thanked him for helping her the week before with Kohaku. Not that he probably wanted thanks, being Mr. I'm Too Good For Anyone and all.

"Hey _Lord_ Sesshomaru?" she started, using Lord to butter him up. "I just wanted to say thanks."

The man raised an eyebrow at her incredulously before asking, "For what?"

Rin shifted her eyes to the table, twirling a piece of her hair nervously. "Well for taking care of that guy Kohaku last week at the mall. You really helped me and Kagome out. And I appreciate it. Even though at the time you didn't even know who we were." she added the last part breathlessly, remembering that at the time, it was most likely a random act of.. well, just a random act. Sesshomaru probably didn't walk around doling out favors to people.

She saw recognition on her boss's face. He gave a slight shrug. "That young man was tearing up my mall. I own it and he was destroying my property."

Rin resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. Of course it had absolutely nothing to do with the two women in need.

"Why was he attacking you?" Sesshomaru asked, jolting Rin out of her annoyance with him.

"Oh well he is my.. ex boyfriend." she looked away from him again, feeling shy with telling him about boy problems. "He's just being a big jerk because I broke up with him."

"If you liked him enough to date him at all, you need better taste in men." he stated, shaking his head.

Before Rin could say anything back to him, Inuyasha and Kagome reappeared at the table. They both wore wrinkled clothes now and it was apparent that Kagome had tried to smooth her hair back down with water. Rin shot her a look as she sat down for leaving her alone with the ice king. Kagome gave her a wink and settled back into her chair, immediately latching onto Inuyasha's arm.

The waitress arrived before anyone could speak again, setting wine down in front of all of them. Rin stared at it, feeling uncomfortable. She wasn't legally able to drink yet. Not that she thought wine would really affect her much, but the last thing she wanted was to look like a lush in front of her new boss, and bring his opinion of her even lower.

"Do you not like _Merlot, _Rin_?" _she heard Sesshomaru ask her.

"Oh what? No. I mean yes! Yes I do. I meant no, I don't not like it. I've just never had it before." she said, stringing the words into one long mumbling sentence. She inwardly kicked herself for once again looking like an idiot.

If she didn't know better she could have sworn she saw the demon smirk. But just as she did a double take it was gone. She brought the glass to her lips and sipped.

Holy shit. This was disgusting. Just fucking awful.

Rin looked around desperately while trying to conceal the fact that she hadn't swallowed the sips of wine yet. Finally, she brought the glass back to her lips and let the wine in her mouth slide back down into her glass, hoping no one saw.

But Kami hated her so of course the first thing she saw on her glance back up was Sesshomaru watching her with interest.

Rin smiled anxiously, a blush creeping up her face.

Their food arrived quickly after that, saving her from having to further converse with either Sesshomaru or the touchy-feely, gross couple next to her. They were now feeding each other unabashedly.

By the time they finished it was already 2PM. They climbed back into their limo and headed to T&S Financial, Rin secretly relieved that she could get back to the office and focus on work. It would be nice if she could cease embarrassing herself in front of Sesshomaru, something more easily accomplished with him pent up in his office behind closed doors.

He sat next to her on the cushy leather seats, leaning back into the top of the seat, relaxed. The wine must have helped bring down his intensity. He had now resumed his scowl towards his younger brother, however, evidently as sick of the two love birds as Rin.

They arrived back at the building, going their separate ways once they reached the twentieth floor.

Rin did her work and avoided all unnecessary contact with Sesshomaru.

When the day ended she gathered her belongings and did a happy dance. Which she promptly realized Sesshomaru was watching. Clearing her throat, she walked calmly to the elevator, banging her head against the wall as soon as she was inside.

Oh great, he probably heard that too with his sensitive ears, she thought.

There was no escaping.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for the continuing support! I love seeing new favorites, follows, and reviews. I think this is my favorite chapter so far.** **Also I know Inuyasha and Kagome are extremely horny people. I swear I didn't set out to make it that way. It just happened. Haha. **

**Anyway, enjoy!**

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The rest of the week had gone by fairly quickly. Rin settled in nicely as Sesshomaru's new secretary. All of the people who came for meetings with him seemed to like her. She brought him a coffee everyday, sometimes plain black and others random fancy Starbuck's concoctions she thought he might enjoy.

If he didn't enjoy them, he never said so. Instead he opted to take them from her, take the obligatory sip in front of her, and then turn back to his work. But she'd often see the cup in the trash later, and considering he had no where to pour it out other than the carpet, she assumed he was drinking them.

Sesshomaru said very few words to her for the most part, but Rin came to accept that as his personality instead of letting it bother her. She tried her best to pick up on his subtle hints.

A few more weeks went by and before she knew it, Rin had been working for Sesshomaru for two months. She wouldn't have thought much of it but other staff members congratulated her, cluing her in on the fact she was the only secretary he had to stay longer than one month. She had feigned surprise at this revelation, but truthfully, she wasn't surprised one bit.

He could be moody in his own way, even in his stoic silence. He disliked Inuyasha, disliked non professionalism, and disliked affection. But somehow he and Rin had fallen into step together, despite their contradicting personalities, becoming easy companions during the work days.

Rin sat at her desk, eagerly awaiting the short hand's arrival over the big black five on the face of bronze clock across from her on the wall. It was Friday night and for once, she had plans. Normally she sat at home, alone, while Kagome and Inuyasha went out. But tonight was a girl's night and she couldn't wait. It was only 4:15 now and she was pretty sure it had been for the past 45 minutes.

Getting up from her comfortable plushy chair she wandered over to Sesshomaru's open door. Leaning on the frame, as she so often did, she waited for him to sense her there. She pushed the sleeve of her pink sweater up slightly, trying to even it out with the other arm's, looking up just in time to see her boss watching her. How the hell did he always catch her doing weird, random things? She scoffed at his stare and he leaned back in his chair, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Yes, Rin?" he asked, in his always bored tone.

"I was just wondering if you needed anything else was all." she lied. She wanted to slap herself. He could smell lies like a dog could smell bacon. Of course, technically he was a dog. A giant, terrifying demon of a dog. She pushed the thought out of her head and went back to focusing on his face, trying to read his impossible features.

"Just say what you really want to say, Rin." he ordered, setting his pen down, and bending over his desk in interest.

She huffed at being caught and said sweetly, "Okay, you got me. I was really wondering if you'd care if I went ahead and left."

His eyes looked deep into hers and she shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny. You'd think she was asking to borrow a million bucks.

She offered more details, hoping the extra conversation would push him to give in out of pure annoyance. "You see, I'm going out for a girl's night tonight with Kagome. Inuyasha said he had to entertain some business people so I finally have her to myself. I love your brother and all but damn those two are always together, ya know? And I really want to head home and take a shower and pick out a sexy dress to get tons of attention from men. Maybe older men. Maybe men who will-" she stopped as he raised a hand.

"Just go, Rin." he told her, closing his eyes.

She clapped her hands, giddy even for thirty minutes less of being in this office building. "Thanks, Sesshomaru!" she called, swiftly turning away with the wave of her hand. At some point over the last few weeks she had started calling the oh so important lord by his first name alone. When he said nothing of it, she continued, thankful he seemed okay with dropping all the titles.

She practically ran to Inuyasha's office door from across the room, knocking loudly. Who knew what he and Kagome were doing in there. Well, everyone knew, but no one liked to think about it, especially Rin.

Kagome cracked the door and Rin could see Inuyasha buttoning his dress shirt back up and zipping his pants. Super gross. She grimaced at Kagome, who gave her a look that said 'shut the hell up.'

"Come on, Kagome. Sesshomaru said I could go ahead and go. You'll see lover boy tomorrow. I need to get home so I can look good and attract a lover boy of my own." she said, with a slight blush.

Kagome squealed excitedly. "Okay, give me one sex, I mean SEC!" she corrected loudly.

After a quick kiss to Inuyasha, Kagome grabbed Rin's hand and pulled her into the elevator. "Oh my Kami. So you decided then?" she said, excitement oozing from every word.

"Decided what?" Rin replied, a confused look forming on her pretty face.

"Ya knowww." Kagome said. "To get back in the saddle and look for a boyfriend." Kagome batted her eye lashes at Rin and leaned her face close to hers.

Rin pushed her face away from her, and sighed. Leave it to Kagome to make a huge deal out of everything.

"No, not really. I mean kind of.." Rin trailed off. What did she want? She was certainly tired of being home alone every single weekend while Kagome got wined and dined by one of the richest men in town. Not that she wasn't happy for her best friend, of course she was. But she wouldn't mind having some happiness of her own. At least a slightly less gross version of happiness.

"Look Rin, it's been awhile since Kohaku. You've settled into your new job, very nicely. And in a few weeks we start college. I assume you plan on continuing to work and take evening and night classes, right?" her friend asked.

Rin nodded. Damn, Kagome was good. "Then now is the time to have some fun, look for a new boyfriend. Or fling. Whichever." Kagome finished making her point, a reassuring smile on her face.

"Okay, okay. You're right. Not saying I'm having a one nighter or something. But I'm more open to male company." Rin explained, giving Kagome a look to reinforce her words about no one night stands.

The women made it back to their little apartment as quickly as possible. Both of them showered and ate a hurried dinner of Ramen while still in their bathrobes. After an argument over whether chiken flavored or beef flavored was best, they crowded into Kagome's room and got ready together.

Kagome decided to borrow Rin's form fitting mauve dress with the chunky creme colored heels. Rin wanted to wear something more casual since most of her fancy attire was reserved for work.

She found a low cut, dark pink razor back tank top. It hugged her curves in just the right places, accentuating her thin waist. It was longer and went a little past the pockets of the creamy white skinny jeans she paired it with. She added a chunky gold necklace and bracelet, along with gold high heeled, open toed wedges. She looked hot and she loved it.

Her hair fell easily into the style she chose, which was loose curls pulled into a half pony tail. She teased her hair into a high bouffant and clipped the hair back with long, strong bobby pins at the top back of her head. She and Kagome stood in front of the floor length mirror together, arms around each other's waists.

"We look sexy. Especially you." Kagome told her, slapping her ass. Rin rolled her eyes and stepped away to grab her things.

They headed out the door and into their car, heading for some new little bar hosting karaoke. From what Kagome heard, they never carded as long as you looked older, so they figured they could drink all they wanted and get away with it.

"Okay!" Kagome shouted as they parked. "Let's do this!"

Rin nodded, suddenly feeling nervous. She had never really met anyone in a bar before. She and Kohaku had been childhood friends and had just somehow ended up together later in high school. There had never been a guy before or after him to show much interest.

They walked in arm in arm and headed to a table in the corner. People were already signing up to sing and loud music boomed through speakers at the front of the room.

"Are you going to sing?" Kagome asked Rin, bending close to her ear.

"Ha no. Absolutely not!" Rin yelled back over the drumming of the music.

A waitress came over to them and took their drink order. Once she was out of sight the girls high fived, pleased that they seemed to be getting away with sneaking drinks.

With her appletini in hand, Rin leaned back in the booth and scanned the room. She saw a few cute guys but none that truly stood out to her. Kagome sat next to her, elbowing her whenever a guy she deemed cute enough walked in.

The night wore on and the girls listened to all the karaoke singers, some awful, give their performances. Kagome suddenly pinched her arm, and Rin snapped her eyes away from the stage, ready to scream at her for the pain she inflicted. But she stopped, following Kagome's gaze to the door of the bar. There stood Inuyasha and Sesshomaru with a group of three men and one woman in tow.

Rin's eyes widened in shock. This did not seem like the type of place Sesshomarhu would bring himself, let alone business associates. Kagome swiftly flipped open her phone and text Inuyasha. The pair watched as he put his hand over his pocket, then reached in to grab his phone. Suddenly his head snapped up, scanning the room until his eyes fell on his girlfriend. He smiled and his fingers began moving over the pad of his smart phone to reply.

"He says they would never normally come to a place like this but the people they're with want to. And these are important clients so they get what they want." Kagome relayed.

Rin nodded absently. As soon as the group had been seated the lone woman with them had immediately scooted as close as possible to Sesshomaru. She had red eyes and a bitchy looking face. Her clothes were slutty and her dress was so tight on the top, her breasts looked as if they were one more move from falling completely out.

Rin felt a stab of guilt for judging the woman so harshly. She didn't even know her. She tried to shake her mind out and focus on the performers. Someone was singing an old song from N'Sync. Rin bobbed her head along, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Sesshomaru lean into the woman and whisper something.

Leaning. As in, get close to her. Rin couldn't believe it. The man was not one to be touched, let alone go around touching others. His arm rested around her comfortably, and though he wore the same impassive expression as usual, he seemed content. The woman laughed at whatever he said and pressed her body even closer to his side.

Rin knocked Kagome, yelling to her,"Who the hell is that woman with them?"

Kagome shrugged, immediately shooting Inuyasha a text. After a moment she yelled back to Rin,"Kagura. Their most important client's daughter. She works for her father and tags along. She has a thing for Sesshomaru, Inuyasha says."

"Apparently!" Rin yelled, shaking her head and nodding in their direction.

Kagome looked from the couple to Rin, and then grinned.

"What?" Rin asked, already feeling hoarse from yelling over the music so much.

"Oh, nothing!" Kagome shot back.

The night wore on, Rin tipping more and more drinks back as she watched Sesshomaru and Kagura. At one point she got up and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, shoving her exposed cleavage in his face. His emotionless expression remained, but he did nothing to stop her, so Rin had to assume he liked it. She felt a weird feeling bubbling in her stomach.

She was drunk. That was for sure. But it felt like something more.

"I'm going to sign up to sing. Want to do a song after mine?" Kagome asked her, dragging Rin's glass away from her hands, trying to signal she should slow down.

Rin nodded and told her what song to write down, then went back to scoping her boss and his companion out. Kagura was basically giving him a lap dance to the upbeat song someone was currently singing. As the song ended she gave Sesshomaru a sultry look and sat back down on his lap.

The next song started and she heard Kagome's voice floating over the room, her face flushed red with nerves. She was singing I've Had the Time of My Life. Rin froze, her mind already seeing into the next five minutes. She slammed her head onto the table as Inuyasha jumped from his seat across the room and ran on the stage.

He joined her, singing in a husky voice,"  
_I've been waiting for so long_  
_Now I've finally found someone_  
_To stand by me_

Rin felt like throwing her drink at the couple. They were just becoming beyond ridiculous now. She let her eyes wander back to Sesshomaru and saw he wore the same expression as her. She wished she were over there with him so they could make fun of the singing duo together. Then a realization hit her.

He knew she was here. He had to. His sensitive demon nose would have picked up on her scent immediately. Hell, he may have even heard the conversation between her and Kagome. But either way, he knew. She felt anger rise up her chest. He knew she was here and didn't even bother looking at her, waving, nodding politely. Nothing. Nada. Jack shit.

She only got his coffee for him everyday. Put up with his arrogance. She huffed, crossing her arms, giving him a death glare. Which he didn't see anyway, since Kagura was still running her boobs all over his face.

Rin heard the music dwindling down and her friends belting out the final,  
_"Yes I swear it's the truth  
__And I owe it all to you." _

She heard her name being called. Shit. It was her turn. In her anger she had forgotten she'd be next. She stumbled into the stage, not daring to look in her boss's direction. On the very slim off chance he didn't know she was here tonight, he did now.

She yelled over to the DJ and told him to put a different song on.

She began singing Lorde's 'Royals'. As she sang, something came over her. She twisted her body, sticking her ass out, slowly moving it in as sexy a way she possibly could.

She heard her voice dragging the words out in a sultry way, as her body danced on the stage.

"_But every song's like gold teeth, grey goose, trippin' in the bathroom  
Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room,  
We don't care, we're driving Cadillacs in our dreams.  
But everybody's like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your time piece.  
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash.  
We don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair."_

She let her eyes roam over the audience, landing on Kagome and Inuyasha, who now sat cuddled in the same booth she and Kagome had been sharing. Kagome's mouth hung open slightly. Rin felt herself exaggerate her movements even more, suddenly feeling the urge to get as much shock factor as possible. She lowered her body down, running her free hand through her hair, belting the words out with no inhibitions. The next lines flowed from her mouth and before she could stop herself, she found her eyes resting pointedly on Sesshomaru.

"_Let me be your ruler (ruler),  
You can call me queen Bee  
And baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule.  
Let me live that fantasy."_

His eyes flickered over her contorted body, resting momentarily on her breasts. Rin saw his eyes linger on her body and she pumped her body even more until the song was ending. As the music faded, so did her confidence. Suddenly feeling incredibly hot, she stood there frozen. She looked to Inuyasha and Kagome, who both motioned for her to come back towards them. But her body stayed on the stage, as if her feet were glued to the very spot she stood on.

She moved her right foot forward, but instead of it planting itself evenly back on the floor, she felt herself tipping over in her drunken state. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of silver move, and Kagura was on the bar's dirty floor. Rin felt a pair of strong arms around her waist, holding her up, evening her steps out.

She held on tightly to his neck, leaning her head against his shoulder. At some point in the night he had removed his usual black business sports coat, and she smiled at the dark blue dress shirt she liked so much.

Her feet shuffled against the floor and she found she was now looking at a worried Kagome. Her friend reached out, rubbing her cheek and calling her name.

Rin could make out a fuzzy,"Rin? Rin, are you okay? Do you want to go home, Rinny?"

Rin tried to move her head in a nod, but instead it lolled back onto Sesshomaru's shoulder. She yelped when she felt herself being lifted off the ground, his arm snaked under her knees, the other holding onto her back tightly.

Despite being horribly drunk, Rin knew this was bad. Bad. Bad. Real bad. Her boss, the stoic, emotionless, I-hate-people, boss, was now holding her close to his chest. There was no way he was liking that. Rin felt embarrassment surge through her and she felt compelled to tell him she was sorry and to put her down, she'd manage.

Instead her words came out."I serray, Sessham.. puh dah..I'll beeeeeeee, ok." Rin blinked upon hearing her words.. or whatever they were. She was way more drunk than she thought.

"Be quiet, little girl," he said in response, a growl in her ear. "Let me get you home."

He didn't sound too mad. Which was good. But really, he didn't sound much of anything, as usual. Rin felt herself begin to cry. The tears rolled down her cheeks and onto his expensive shirt. She gasped when she saw her black brown mascara sticking to his shirt through her tears, but before she could say anything about it, she was being placed gently in a car.

But it wasn't Kagome's old beat up Hyundai. It was a limo. The one she could only assume Sesshomaru and Inuyasha had arrived in.

So now she had shaken her ass for him to see, ruined his little business outing, _and _his shirt. And also managed to commandeer his vehicle.

Could tonight get anymore fucking awkward?

Before she knew it, Sesshomaru was once again holding her in his arms and walking her through the door of her apartment.

She heard him say to Kagome something about 'helping' but Kagome said no, instructing him to just lay Rin on her bed and head out. He nodded, walking her into her room and laying her down on the firm mattress.

The mattress covered in stuffed teddy bears and unicorns.

Rin let herself black out at that point, not wanting to be conscious to witness her boss seeing her bright pink room and teddy bear bed.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Shout out to all my reviewers! But a special shout out to xxMonkeey27xx. What you said is so encouraging and means a lot to me. Definitely one of the best compliments I've received and totally made my day. I hope you guys are okay with a longer story. I am hoping to make this go to at least 100,000 words and really tell a descriptive, love story.**

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The sun was shining brightly into Rin's room the next morning, blinding her as she tried to slowly open her eyes. She stretched, yawning, and then froze as she remembered the previous night's events.

Damn it.

She jumped out of her bed only to be knocked down by the pain pounding through her skull. She sat on the floor for a moment, unsure if she could make it to the kitchen after all. Finally she gathered her strength and stood once again, shuffling slowly into the kitchen, searching for Advil.

"Well good morning little miss sunshine!" she heard a voice call to her. It sounded like it was amplified ten fold. Putting her hands over her ears she whirled around, meeting Inuyasha's face.

"Ugh what the fuck Inuyasha. Tone it down." she complained.

"This is toned down Rin. Ya must have one hell of a hangover." he told her, handing his friend a glass of water and two small pills.

"Yeah. I drank way too much. I remember singing and acting totally ridiculous on stage. I'm so embarrassed. Anything else interesting happen?" she wondered, staring at him.

Just then Kagome appeared. "Oh hey Rinny. Are you feeling okay? You really had us worried." Kagome said, starting to make some breakfast.

Kagome looked between Rin and Inuyasha, sensing Inuyasha's hesitance about something.

"She doesn't remember everything," he said.

Rin didn't like the sound of that. It was bad enough having this monster hang over and knowing she looked like a nasty freak singing and dancing in front of the crowd. And Sesshomaru.

Wait. Sesshomaru?

Then it all came flooding back. She burned red with embarrassment. "No. No. NO." she sputtered out, laying her head on the counter.

"Oh. Never mind. Looks like she remembers now." Inuyasha said with a smirk.

"Oh my Kami, he's going to fire me first thing Monday morning. He had to carry me. I cried on him. I'm pretty sure at one point he was staring at my boobs." Rin lamented.

Kagome looked down, shifting nervously. "Oh Rin.. there's more."

"What the fuck do you mean, 'there's more'?" she asked Kagome, looking up, fire in her eyes.

"Well you blacked out briefly. And Sesshomaru went to leave. I got you out of your pants and put those pajama shorts on you," she relayed, nodding to Rin's clothes.

"Okayyyy." Rin said, waiting for the next part.

"Well then you started throwing up. And I screamed, because honestly, it was super gross. Sesshomaru heard from the living room where he had called Inuyasha to see how he managed the clients. He ran in and he held your hair back for you. Then he picked you up and put you in your bed again. After that you fell asleep and he left." Kagome gushed out, breathlessly.

Rin stared at her blankly for a moment, registering the awful story she had just been told.

"So I basically acted like a slutty, drunk fool.. then threw up on him?" Rin asked just to clarify.

Yeah, pretty much, kid." Inuyasha answered, plopping onto the couch and opening a newspaper.

Rin sat down at the small table in the kitchen and bit into the pancakes Kagome handed her. She ate silently, replaying what she could remember in her mind. None of it was a pretty sight. But she did remember that Sesshomaru wanted to help her home, it isn't like she forced him.

He had stared at her boobs while she was dancing though.

She abruptly got up, walking by Inuyasha, and grabbed the paper from his hands.

"What the hell?" Inuyasha yelled, whipping back to look at her as she walked towards her room.

"Sorry. Gotta look for a new job," she called back to him, and slammed her door.

Rin spent the weekend holed up in her room, trying to shake out her nerves by Monday morning. She prayed for Saturday and Sunday to go by slowly but instead they were over in the blink of an eye.

On Monday morning she rose from her bed, showered, ate, and got ready. She put simple make up on and flat ironed her hair. After a few minutes of combing through her closet she settled on a grey cocktail dress with pink polka dots along the skirt. She pulled a pink sweater over it and slipped on plain pink ballet flats.

If he was going to fire her she was at least going to look beautiful while he did it.

She made Kagome do their usual Starbucks run, getting Sesshomaru a fancy latte and even a blueberry scone to go with it. She carried them in shaky hands through the building, on the elevator and to his door.

Which was closed. Not a good sign for her considering her walking through his open door every morning was part of their routine. She set his coffee and breakfast down on her desk and knocked on the door.

Without warning it popped open and a woman rushed past her with an angry face. Rin watched her go and realized it was the same woman with Sesshomaru on Friday night, Kagura. A strange sensation clawed at her stomach. Trying to ignore it she turned around and right into Sesshomaru.

"Oh! Sorry. Crap." Rin said, trying to avoid his eyes. "I brought you this." she told him, handing the latte and scone to him, staring at his hands, instead of daring to look at his face. "Uhm, sorry for Friday. And ya know, thanks too." she apologized, looking at the floor, playing with the skirt of her dress nervously.

"Come in, Rin." Sesshomaru said, as always, blankly.

Rin swallowed hard and followed after him into his office. He sat behind his desk, sipping his coffee, and motioned for her to sit too.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Embarrassed." she answered honestly finally looking him in the eyes. His golden orbs, looked intently on her face, and then she saw him do something she had never seen him do before.

He laughed. A small laugh, a tiny chuckle, but it was there. Rin stared at him, confused as to why he was laughing at her.

"I assumed that much. I meant are you feeling better." he clarified, returning back to his calm, stoic self.

"Oh." Rin said, not sure how to react to his behavior. "I feel better than I did Saturday morning.." she trailed off, staring away from him and out the window behind his head.

"Good." was all he said.

An awkward silence fell between them, Sesshomaru waiting for her to speak, and Rin unsure of what to speak about. Finally curiosity got the best of her and she asked,"Sesshomaru, if you don't mind me asking, who was that woman who just left here? She was with you Friday too."

Sesshomaru moved his eyes over her features before saying,"She is an annoyance. A client's daughter who insists on being all over me. I let her do what she wants to keep both her father and my father happy. If it weren't for them, I'd have killed her a long time ago."

Rin's eyes went wide for a moment, completely taken aback by his harsh answer. "Oh well you seemed to be into her Friday so I just thought maybe she was.. a girlfriend.. or something that you never told me about." she explained to him, knowing it was weird she had asked at all.

"I do not date." he said clearly, and somewhat loudly.

Rin rolled her eyes. Yes, yes, he had said that a million times by now.

"Aren't you lonely sometimes?" she pressed him, pity in her voice.

He scoffed, standing from his desk and walking towards her. "No." he said, offering her his hand.

She placed her smaller hand in his and let him lead her from her chair and over to the door. "I'll be on a telephone conference with our partner company in New York. Hold all other calls." he told her, suddenly getting right back to business.

She nodded, stepping out of his door as he closed it. She blinked, taking in what had just happened.

Nothing.

He wasn't mad. He didn't even seem to care. Rin let a sigh of relief out and sat down at her desk, going over Sesshomaru's schedule and flipping through messages from Friday.

After an hour she saw Sesshomaru appear in front of her desk, coolly watching her while she typed up some papers for him.

"We are going to New York, Rin." he said.

Rin stared into his eyes, waiting for him to continue. When he didn't she inwardly groaned. Everything with him had to be so fucking difficult.

"Okay.. May I ask why?" she finally said when it became apparent he wasn't going to offer the information up.

"Business." he stated as if it weren't already obvious, checking his smart phone. "We will be taking a private plane. Flight leaves at 4:30 this afternoon. I assume you have your passport?"

"Yes, but-" she started, only to have his icy stare stop her words in her throat.

"Good. Take the rest of the day off. Go home and pack what you will need for a week long stay. My car will arrive to pick you up promptly at 3:00. Do not be late." with those instructions he turned away from her and headed into the elevator. Rin stared after him, wanting to protest, but not able too.

She didn't want to leave the country. She had never even flown before! The thought was terrifying.

However, the thought of going to the United States, all expenses paid also sounded extremely exciting. Kagome had said this was the time to live it up, right? Maybe she could go overseas, meet an extremely sexy stranger, have a fling, and then come home, returning to normal life. Normal life where an extremely powerful and scary daiyokai ruled over her.

She put her head in her hands, letting a great long sigh out. This guy was killing her. So bossy. So arrogant. But this was her job and she had no choice.

Rin let Kagome know she'd be gone for a week, much to her roomie's chagrin.

"Just like that?" Kagome said with surprise. "Just like that he expects you to pick everything up and fly off with him?"

"Well, I am his secretary." Rin mumbled.

"Yeah but what the hell does he need you to go with him for exactly?" Kagome asked, crossing her arms.

"I never asked. I just assumed if he asked me, he needed me there. I'm not going to argue with him, Kagome. You know that never ends well for anybody." Rin reminded her with a shake of her head.

"Well, that's true." Kagome agreed,knowing defeat when she heard it.

"Look, you'll be fine. Inuyasha can stay with you. I'll call and check up everyday. I promise." Rin said, patting Kagome on the back. She kissed her friend's cheek and headed downstairs to take the car they shared home. Kagome had told her to take it since she could just get a ride from Inuyasha, and Rin felt relieved, not wanting to worry about trying to get a cab.

When she got home she looked around her room, feeling lost. Rin could already tell she'd probably forget half of what she needed. She also stared at her suitcase for five minutes, the fact that fitting one pair of heels in it for each day of her trip just wouldn't work out sinking in. She decided to bring five classy outfits that could easily pair with a lone pair of black heels.

After throwing some casual clothes and tennis shoes in she began gathering all toiletries. It was at this moment she realized she had entirely too much make up. Sighing, she threw only three color palettes into her smaller bag, along with anything else she needed to 'put on her face'.

Before she knew it, three o'clock had rolled around. She double checked everything and eagerly awaited Sesshomaru's arrival. As she watched the town car pull up to her apartment building, excitement bubbled up her chest. But she immediately felt disappointed upon entering the car to find Sesshomaru wasn't even there.

Of course. He never specified whether he'd be there or not. Stupid dog.

After a thirty minute ride they pulled into a small local airport. Rin took in the new sights and watched an airplane glide off the runway into the air, climbing higher and higher. Suddenly her excitement vanished and she felt nausea creeping up when they parked in a small hanger. She swallowed it back down as the driver popped her door open and helped her out. She hugged herself, glancing around nervously, relieved to see Sesshomaru walking towards her.

"Are you ready, Rin?" he asked her.

"Ready as I'll ever be." she murmured.

Sesshomaru kept his eyes on her, making her shift uncomfortably. She sighed. He probably could sense her nervousness. Her fear. She hated that he knew how weak she felt, but decided to ignore it for now.

Finally he turned, walking up the staircase into the companies private plane. Rin followed after him, sitting down on one of the large cushioned seats in the middle of the aircraft. A stewardess offered her a drink, and she gladly accepted, hoping the alcohol when loosen her up.

"Please do not become intoxicated this time, Rin. The staff will be most displeased if they have to clean vomit off the seats." Sesshomaru ridiculed, taking a seat beside her. The plane only had four rows, each with two seats, but considering it was just the two of them, he really could have sat anywhere else.

She eyed him, mulling over a retort. Finding none, she ignored him, sipping her drink pointedly. She saw him smirk out of the corner of her eye. They sat there silently for awhile, Sesshomaru going over documents, while Rin knocked back three drinks.

Finally, the captain informed the crew to prepare for take off and strap themselves into their seats. Rin gripped the arm rest of her chair until her knuckles turned white and her hand ached.

Without warning, the plane jumped, hitting a large bump in the runway. Unprepared and already scared, Rin yelped, turning to latch onto Sesshomaru. She held onto his arm, burying her face into his shoulder, trying to take deep breaths.

"Rin, it is okay. All is normal and going well. Try to relax." her boss said calmly, making no move to push her away, but certainly not offering comfort. She looked up, eyeing him warily.

When she remained silent, slowly moving back into her seat all the way he asked her,"Do you not trust me?"

She raised her eyebrows at him, taken aback by his odd question. But when she mulled it over she wasn't sure what answer he was looking for her to give in return. It wasn't like she distrusted him. But she wasn't positive he had done anything to fully garner her trust either. Her emotions at a stalemate, she thought back to her drunken state and his help, which was certainly kind.

Deciding she at least trusted him to not let harm come to either one of them, she finally replied,"I guess so."

He gave a slight bow of his head and turned his laptop back on to continue some work.

"Do you want me to trust you?" she asked him, startling herself and immediately regretting her question.

Sesshomaru turned his face to hers, a look of interest etched on his usually impassive features.

"Yes." he finally responded after several moments. "We are together often, Rin. I trust you with particular things. I expect that same trust in return."

Rin's mouth popped open, though she quickly snapped it back up, knowing he probably wouldn't appreciate the gesture. He trusted her? A happiness came over her and she offered him a wide smile. Sesshomaru was not the type of person to say he liked you, trusted you, or cared for you in anyway. But right now Rin felt he was offering her the best she was ever going to get to a pat on the back.

"Then you have it, Sesshomaru." she told him.

Rin become aware that the plane was now peacefully in the air and had been for some time. Lost in her conversation with her employer, she hadn't even noticed their rise off the runway and ascent into the skies.

Before she knew it she was knocked out, the combination of stress and alcohol finally tiring her out. When she came to, Sesshomaru was still seated beside her, though he had closed his laptop and now seemed to be reading a book.

Checking her phone, she realized it had only been two hours since they had taken off. Only eleven more hours to go until they landed and she was already feeling bored. Of course she had brought shoes, dresses, and everything else but absolutely nothing for entertainment. She groaned, earning a raised eyebrow from her companion.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, over the edge of his book. She saw it had something to do with American customs.

She sighed knowing her next words were going to make her sound like a child. "I'm bored."

Sesshomaru cast her a dark look and went back to reading his book.

"Want to play tic tac toe or something?" she asked him.

"I do not play games." he stated, not bothering to look up from his book this time.

"I see. Then can I read your book with you? I'll just lean in really close and we can try to read at the same pace. I'll let you know when I'm ready for the page to be turned!" Rin declared, setting her voice up an extra octave, just to be extra obnoxious.

She watched as Sesshomaru's shoulder's slumped slightly in defeat and he set his book down in the pocket of the seat in front of them.

"How do you play this game?" he inquired, his bored tone sounding extra bored than normal.

Rin's eyes widened. "You've never played?"

"I do not play games," he repeated.

"Well you do now!" she told him, triumphantly.

After explaining the premise of the game and the rules, they began playing after Rin made him hand over some paper and pens.

The simple game took up another three hours of their flight, mainly because Sesshomaru got competitive and insisted they play one more time whenever he lost. Rin did the same, not wanting to let him over come her in a game he had never even played before now.

"While that was interesting, Rin, I think you should go to sleep. We will arrive at JFK Airport by 6:00 in the morning. The hotel expects us shortly after, where we will refresh ourselves and immediately go to the American branch of T&S Financial." Sesshomaru said, setting his pen down, relaying the long day they apparently had ahead of them once they landed.

"Really? I think you're just tired of losing." she taunted him, slashing a line through her row of O's. Upon his glare, she quickly relented. "Alright, alright. But if I start drooling or something wake me up."

Sesshomaru grimaced at her, grabbing his book from the seat ahead and returning to his studies, choosing to say nothing about her drool and what he'd do if it occurred.

Rin had the attendant grab her a pillow and blanket, snuggling into them against her seat, reclining it as much as possible.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" she asked Sesshomaru, concern in her soft voice.

"I do not need to sleep the way humans do. If I ever require rest I do it at my home where I won't be bothered by pesky young girls." he replied, shooting her an annoyed glance.

"Geez. I get it. Goodnight." she snapped, closing her eyes and and trying to focus on the whir of the jet's engines in hopes they would lull her to sleep.

After what seemed to be only moments, Rin was brought from her sleep by the captain's voice over the loud speaker. She made out something about landing and 5:45am as she came to her senses.

What she felt made her freeze.

A hard surface was below her head. She popped her eyes open hoping desperately to not see what she thought the surface might be.

She screamed inside. It was exactly what she thought it might be; Sesshomaru's shoulder.

Rin continued to lay on him, frozen in apprehension. He probably could tell she was awake now. Why the hell would he let her lay all over him like this? She was being completely unprofessional.

Twice now she had her face all over him. All over his extremely nice dress shirts. All over his masculine strong shoulder, that felt oddly comfortable.

"Are you going to rise and prepare to land or continue using my shoulder as a pillow?" she heard his deep voice ask her.

At a loss for words, she snapped up, hand immediately flying to her mouth to double check for drool.

"Kami, I'm sorry, Sesshomaru!" she whispered out, feeling painfully awkward.

"Hn," was his only response.

The rest of the descent to the airport was silent, both she and her boss making sure they had all their belongings gathered. Finally they stepped off the plane and walked down the flight of stars to the tarmac. It was still dark, the early morning light just barely beginning to shine through. Rin sucked in her breath at the beautiful lights surrounding them, lighting the runways for all the planes.

The air here felt different and she felt a wave of excitement come over her. She was in a completely different country. She felt the urge to jump up and down but suppressed it, aware that Sesshomaru now watched her.

"Let us get to our hotel, Rin. And remind me to double check that they give us separate rooms." he announced, walking away from her and towards the door to the inside of the airport.

Confused, figuring they would of course have separate rooms she called to him, "Why?"

"You snore."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! You are pushing me to keep cranking this thing out. I promise I'm not ignoring any questions or comments in reviews left, but by the time I get to posting chapters I can't remember some of the questions. I'll try to make all my writing cohesive and easy to follow and not leave room for any questions by the end. If I'm not doing well enough, please let me know. **  
**Enjoy!**

* * *

The lobby of the hotel sparkled in perfect condition as Rin made her way through the door. A bellhop pulled a cart of their luggage behind them and Rin could see him eyeing her from behind.

Or rather, eyeing her actual behind.

Feeling excited at the attention, she put a little extra sway in her step, following after Sesshomaru. She had squabbled with him briefly once inside the car, insisting she absolutely did not snore and he was just making it up to annoy her.

"Rin, this Sesshomaru does not lie." he told her, turning his head slightly to signal the matter was now closed.

Rin huffed and crossed her arms in annoyance. Arrogant bastard. She totally did not snore one bit, if anything, his stupid, sensitive ears picked up her hollow, gentle, lady-like breathing.

But the annoyance was soon forgotten when they pulled up to the massive hotel. She watched as Sesshomaru handed the driver a one hundred dollar bill in American currency.

Damn, he really is loaded, she thought.

She stood behind Sesshomaru as he spoke to the man at the counter. He seemed to be handing Sesshomaru packets of information as well as two little plastic cards. Sesshomaru turned and nodded to the side of her where a huge elevator door was sliding open. The bellhop was already pulling the cart of their belongings inside it so she and Sesshomaru strode over there quickly to fit inside as well.

The ride lasted forever. Rin was starting to feel butterflies in her stomach when she realized it was taking so long because their rooms must be situated very, very high up. Finally the doors slid open with a ding and she quickly stepped out, taking a deep breath. Heights made her hopelessly nervous.

Sesshomaru put a hand on her shoulder, and cocked his head slightly, a way to ask if she was alright. She gave him a nod and they continued on their way down the long, wide hall.

Arriving at their door, Sesshomaru slid the card, pulling the handle down as a little light turned green. He pushed the door open, continuing to hold it for the bellhop as he pushed the cart inside and helped unload it. Sesshomaru handed him a tip when they were finished and the boy left, dragging the obnoxiously large cart behind him.

Rin was planted in the middle of the room. If you could even call it that. It was more like an apartment, at least twice the size of the one she shared with Kagome.

The room she stood in was a living room of sorts, with a large, white couch settled across from a gigantic window, letting a view of a river and the city inside. She almost fainted as she neared the window and saw how high they were above the world.

"What floor are we on?" she asked Sesshomaru.

"The 44th."

Rin said nothing in response, instead backing away from the window. Next she ran into the open door to the right, past the full blown kitchen the suite boasted.

"OH MY KAMI!" she screamed.

The room was gigantic. A large four poster king size bed sat in the very center against the back wall. She looked around and noticed another door which she immediately stepped through.

This time she was shocked into silence. A marble bath was the first thing she saw, a shower next to it, a frosted glass door covering the enclosure. The sink was marble as well, a curvy gold faucet jutting out from the center, with dainty golden knobs on either side. A closet was directly next to her, with velvety hangars waiting to be used.

Walking back into the room she jumped onto her bed. Figuring she was safe from Sesshomaru's watchful eye while he most likely unpacked, she stood on the bed, and began jumping.

Like a five year old.

But boy did it feel good. The bed had a good mattress, full of bounce and she laughed giddily as each jump shot her farther and farther up. Rin had never, ever seen luxury like this before. Her mind soared at the beauty of the finery surrounding her, knowing this room was fit for a princess, more so than a college student.

But suddenly her foot turned and she felt herself flying off the bed. Bracing her body for impact, she screamed.

The floor never came though. Rin jerked her head up to see Sesshomaru peering down at her, his arms placed safely around her back and under her knees. Relief flooded over her and she hugged his neck tightly, letting her face rest against it, for once not caring her face was all over him.

"Oh thank Kami. It's too early in the morning to break my face." she said, finally removing her head from his shoulder and looking into his golden eyes. "Thanks, Sesshomaru. You saved me once again." she joked.

The man shook his head at her. "If you insist on playing childish games I will be forced to stay at your side this entire trip. I'm starting to think you have a sordid fascination with making me rescue you."

Rin blinked. Was he serious right now?

He continued on, ignoring her miffed expression. "Come. I must attend a meeting at 9:00. I do not tolerate tardiness from others and I will not be tardy myself. Do what it is you need to do to look your best. Breakfast will arrive shortly." he instructed her, setting her softly on her feet.

He walked out without another word, leaving Rin to stick her tongue out at him, though he did not see it.

Deciding she was too excited about her new accommodations to argue, Rin closed her door and began undressing. She had been wearing the grey and pink polka dotted dress for nearly 24 hours now and she felt gross. She walked to the bathroom and ran herself a bath.

Before stepping in she pinned her straight hair up high to keep it from getting wet. She let the water lap over her body, relaxing her tense muscles. Sleeping on an airplane is certainly not the most comfortable thing and her body now ached slightly. Rin let herself enjoy the bath for thirty minutes before remembering she and Sesshomaru had somewhere to be.

She jumped out, dried off, and dug through her luggage for something to wear. Picking out a black pencil skirt and white buttoned blouse, she pulled the clothes on and threw on some make up. She also pinned her hair back on one side with a small flat pink clip.

Slipping her black open-toed heels over her feet she stepped outside the door and immediately popped her mouth open in surprise. Set out in front of her on carts were multiple different breakfast options. Bagels, eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, cereal, hash browns, coffee, milk and orange juice sat on top of three separate carts. She gawked at it for a moment longer before grabbing one of the plates she saw and piling it high.

"I see you are enjoying breakfast," she heard Sesshomaru say behind her. She could almost hear the smirk on his face through his words.

"Well I'm really hungry, okay?" she shot back. "Isn't this over kill? It's only the two of us."

"I was not certain what you would like or dislike so I had them bring it all." he replied in a serious tone, looking over her face with his bright eyes when she turned to look at him.

Rin was taken off guard for a moment. In a way, what he did was incredibly sweet. She smiled at him, feeling herself push the smart remark she had been planning to say back down.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru. I love it all really." she said demurely, looking from him back down to her plate.

"Hn," came his usual reply.

After they had both eaten, Sesshomaru placed his tie around his neck and buttoned the sleeves of his shirt.

"Oh! Let me do your tie for you. I looked up a really fancy way to do it and I want to try it out." Rin told him, holding her hands out towards his neck.

He instinctively stepped back. "Rin, I do not care for such frivolous and unnecessary things such as a 'fancy' tie."

"Please? I bet all the Americans will be impressed." she pleaded, batting her eye lashes and giving him puppy dog eyes.

He sighed, but stepped towards her. She flipped the tie into impressive loops and tightened it for him, her hands resting on his chest just below his neck as she looked over her work. Content with the job she did she moved her head up , forgetting she was still so close to him. Sesshomaru's eyes looked into hers and they both stood there, locked onto each other's eyes.

Rin became aware of Sesshomaru's hand moving and coming to a rest on the small of her back, pressing her closer to his body. She angled her head to the side to get a better view of his face. His face moved lower to hers, his nose grazing her own as his lips hovered only millimeters from hers. Rin felt panic rise through her body, face turning blood red, hands shaking slightly, but she made no move, instead waiting for him to close the distance between them completely.

And then the hotel room's phone went off. Sesshomaru jerked away from her, moving towards the end table the land line rested on. As he picked up the phone with a brusque American 'hello' and listened to the other person speak his eyes never left hers.

Setting the receiver down Sesshomaru finally spoke,"We should be going. The car awaits us outside of the lobby."

Rin nodded, trying to calm her nerves. What had just happened?

A kiss.

Almost.

The young woman took a few deep breaths, trying to remind herself that he was her _boss. _She worked with him everyday and going around kissing those beautiful lips probably wasn't going do any good for her job situation.

But damn would it probably do some good for her.

She hadn't really been with anyone before or since Kohaku. Sure they had kissed over their year together, maybe some groping took place, but never in that entire year had her body ever felt so on edge as it did when she felt Sesshomaru pressing her towards him.

Truthfully, Rin wasn't even completely positive that she was a good kisser anyway. What if she and Sesshomaru kissed and he hated it? What if they kissed and he loved it? What if he wanted more? What if it led to sex?

Oh Kami. She couldn't have sex with her boss! He was an excellent boss but she was pretty positive sleeping with his secretary would turn him into a bad boss. It was just one of those things you're not supposed to do!

"Are you coming, Rin?" a voice called to her, snapping her thoughts in half.

Sesshomaru was looking at her, his apathetic stare back on his features, holding the door open for her. She had yet to move from the very spot their kiss had almost taken place in. Suddenly feeling horribly embarrassed, she rushed through the door with a mumbled, 'yeah,sorry' and headed straight for the elevator.

The ride down was painfully silent between the two. Rin glanced nervously over to Sesshomaru, who stood in all his masculine, silver-haired glory, only inches from her now. She wondered if he had always stood that close to her in elevators.

Maybe.

But Rin had the distinct feeling he hadn't.

When the doors opened she let him walk out first to lead the way.

They got into the car. Silently.

Drove to the T&S American branch. Silently.

Walked in together. Silently.

Finally they reached their hosts for the week. A tall, thin, balding man welcomed them ahead of a group of six men. Rin couldn't understand much of what they were saying and wished she could speak English like Sesshomaru. She perked up when she realized someone was speaking Japanese.

"Ms. Minami, I'm Charles Hudson. I'll be your interpreter for the remainder of the week. Mr. Taisho requests I translate the meetings for you so you can take notes for him." the man said, extending his hand to her.

He spoke her native language very smoothly, so much so that she was extremely impressed. He was only in his early twenties from what she could tell and wore a friendly face. His hair was dark brown, much like hers, but his eyes sparkled a brilliant blue.

"Hello, Mr. Hudson. It will be a pleasure working with you. I didn't realize Mr. Taisho had gotten an interpreter for the meetings. You speak well." she replied, taking his hand, noticing how firm yet gentle it was upon hers.

"Please, I insist you call me Charlie. I'm not quite as stuffy as all these old men." he said with a gentle laugh, shooting a glance towards the other men, as if he was paranoid they'd suddenly begin understanding what he was saying.

"Then feel free to call me Rin." she offered, returning his smile.

Rin let her eyes roam over to Sesshomaru, who was lost in conversation with the bald man. Though she could have sworn she saw the edge of his pointed ear twitch beneath his hair, like he was listening to a conversation from across the room.

With pleasantries behind the group they headed into a conference room. Charlie and Rin sat in the corner behind the table where they could easily hear everything said, but far enough away that Charlie's words to Rin wouldn't be distracting to the business men.

The meeting began and Rin became even more impressed with Charlie. He was sauve, friendly, and intelligent. He easily translated every word and Rin felt relieved as she typed up notes on the laptop she had brought. She didn't fully understand what was going on though, having no real knowledge of the business world. Something was going on related to stocks falling dramatically due to a sexual scandal from the president, well now ex president, of the American branch.

She wasn't positive why it had required their immediate arrival to America or why they needed to stay a week, but Sesshomaru clearly seemed displeased. He sat, his back completely straight, arms laying flat on the table, while he listened to the men, wearing an annoyed scowl the entire time.

After two hours the meeting adjourned.

Charlie flashed her a grin. "Now they are talking about taking you and Mr. Taisho to see a Broadway show and to P.J. Clarke's for dinner later in the week. I've been invited as well, though I'm sure your boss would be happy to translate for you, it would be nice to spend some more time together." he admitted, blushing slightly.

Rin felt nervous immediately. He obviously had some sort of..thing.. for her. He was cute, but given her earlier almost, but not quite, kiss with Sesshomaru she couldn't focus on anyone else. And what would she wear to such nice places? She signed, but quickly perked up seeing Charlie's face fall.

"Wonderful! I'm so excited. I just worry I brought nothing appropriate to wear." she confessed, telling a half truth.

Just then Sesshomaru walked up to them. Completely ignoring Charlie he said to Rin,"We will go shopping this afternoon, Rin. I'll purchase anything you feel you need for these events." he said. "Come. I am ready to leave these American fools."

Rin blushed. Now he was offering to buy clothes for her too. Kami, he really did always come to her rescue. He walked away and she followed after a small wave to Charlie. Charlie watched her go, feeling the power of the demon in front of her rolling off in waves.

It becamse obvious to Rin that Sesshomaru was more than displeased, he was extremely agitated. Though he wore the same stoic features as always he certainly had an anger about him that Rin could just somehow sense. She supposed what he said about them spending time together was true, and now she had an easier time reading him. Well, kind of, anyway.

"It is nearing lunch hour, Rin. Would you like to go eat first and then search for something to wear?" he asked her, looking down at his watch.

"Oh sure. But I really hate you spending any money on me Sesshomaru. It doesn't feel right to me." she told him, worry in her eyes.

"What you feel is irrelevant. I'm purchasing the items you need. I invited you on this trip and neglected to inform you of any formal dress you may require." came his retort as he opened the town car's door for her. She got in and waited for him to slide through from the other side.

"Okay fine." she said as soon as she settled next to her. "But nothing too expensive, okay? Promise!" she shouted at his slight roll of eyes.

"I will promise nothing. I'll spend as much money as is necessary for you to look appropriate. We have an image to uphold for these ridiculous foreigners. You represent T&S Financial, Rin." Sesshomaru insisted, giving her a stern look.

"Geez, no pressure or anything, right?" she scoffed at him.

They sat in companionable silence on the ride to the restaurant, Rin completely lost in her mind. She felt slightly awkward that they had yet to talk about the kiss, or rather lack of it. But maybe they would never need to. It was obviously a slip up on Sesshomaru's part and he probably didn't want to embarrass her by having to explain it to her. After all, nothing had actually happened since the phone call interrupted whatever it was.

A shadow came over her and she looked up to see the cause of it, only to realize the car had stopped and Sesshomaru was already on her side, door hanging open, extending his hand to her. She took it and let him help her out of the car. The building they were at didn't seem as fancy as some place Sesshomaru would normally go.

When they walked inside she decided it definitely wasn't. It was called the Hard Rock Cafe and had all sorts of random decor hanging on it's walls. Rin took all the sights in as they were seated, finally turning to Sesshomaru when she realized he was watching her.

"Tell me more about yourself Sesshomaru." she demanded with a sweet smile.

"You already possess all the knowledge you need to know to work for me." came his bored reply.

She rolled her eyes. "Noooo, I mean tell me about your past and what you did before this company."

"I do not see how that is relevant to our current situation." he said.

For a moment Rin felt her heart race, thinking he was referring to that morning as their situation. But she immediately realized he meant their situation of her working under him. At that thought she pictured herself lying under him, their bodies entwined in a tight lover's embrace.

What the hell?

She kicked herself. What was wrong with her? This man was her boss. A cold, calculating demon who was a shrewed businessman and put up with no one's shit. She could feel her face flush red and she wanted to run into the bathroom like a child to hide. But she couldn't do that without risking looking suspicious. She knew Sesshomaru could sense emotions and smell arousal, which was the last thing she wanted. So she calmed herself best she could before casually asking, "Well how did you come to be involved with T&S Financial?"

Her companion eyed her but decided to answer. "My father decided he wanted to found his own company. The 'T' is taken from Toga and the 'S' from my own name. It was fairly simple to conquer the competition and quickly rise as the number one financial company within a few years. Humans are ignorant and often lack common sense."

"HEY! I take offense to that." Rin said shrilly. Kami he could be such a jerk.

When he chose to ignore her comment she asked another question. "Why do you and Inuyasha not get along?"

She saw him twitch and immediately regretted asking. She knew it was a sore spot for both the men. To her surprise he still answered. "He is an insolent, difficult whelp. He has gotten in my way numerous times.

"Yeah he can be a jerk too. I have a feeling it runs in the family." she said with a grin.

Before Sesshomaru could respond, their waitress popped up to take their orders, Sesshomaru ordering for Rin once again. She rather liked when he did it. It made him seem so much like a gentleman and truthfully she supposed he was. He always opened doors for her, helped her out of the car, ordered for her, and just took care of her in general.

After the waitress left Rin returned to her line of questioning. "So, have you ever been married or anything?"

"I do not date." came his cold response.

Oh geesh, this was going to be a long week.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Double post. I expect tons of favs, follows, and loving reviews for my kindness. Just kidding.. kinda.  
Next chapter may not be up within a day or two since I'm posting back to back.  
But you know I won't take long!  
Enjoy.**

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Lunch had ended on a high note, at least for Rin, who had gotten Sesshomaru to finally tell her about his love life. He had never been married.. or rather mated, as dog demons call it.

His reasoning? Women were an annoyance which he could not afford.

Rin had given him a hard stare at that point and decided to change the subject, though she still counted him answering at all as a win in her book. When she had asked about his family history, he grew tense but divulged that information as well.

Toga was now hundreds of years old and ruled the Western Lands along side Sesshomaru's mother. At some point his father fell in love with Inuyasha's mother Izayoi and left to be with her. When they mated they were bound together and Izayoi adopted the life span of her mate. Sesshomaru told her he bore a grudge for a very long time before finally moving on.

She nodded and realized that must be the cause of the tension between himself and his younger brother. They both grew silent after that and ate in companionable silence.

Now Rin watched herself twirl in a large mirror on the wall of the fanciest dressing room she had ever seen. A collection of beautiful dresses hung on the wall behind her, an assortment of different colors, and heels to match them lay on the floor. She currently wore one of an earthy green. It was short, resting mid thigh, with no sleeves and a little bow resting on the side of her waist.

She loved it. But she glanced back at the other dresses and loved them all too. The curse of being a woman she supposed. Deciding to get a second opinion she opened the door, and smiled at Sesshomaru as she walked out, gauging his reaction.

His eyes wandered over her and he gave a slight nod in approval. "Is that the one you would like, Rin?" he asked her.

"Oh well I'm not sure. I was hoping for a second opinion actually." she told him, shrugging her shoulders.

"I have no opinion. This dress will be satisfactory for dinner and a show." he replied, bored as ever.

Her shoulders slumped. For some reason she felt his opinion mattered to her and he was basically saying he didn't care. "Oh. Okay." she said quietly, turning to walk back into the dressing room.

"However, if you feel the need to show this Sesshomaru every dress I will tell you which of them are suitable and which are not suitable." he said, a slight annoyance in his tone.

Rin turned back to him with her most brilliant smile before disappearing into the changing room.

The next dress Rin pulled on was a deep red and clung to her body, showing every curve. The neck was somewhat high with short, ruched sleeves.

Sesshomaru simply nodded so after a few dramatic twirls she changed again. After five more dresses, Sesshomaru's eyes had a look of torture in them. Rin saw it and felt bad, recognizing that demon or not, he was a man as well and most men didn't like to shop. Deciding to try one more dress on, she undressed from the beige dress she currently wore and hung it back up.

The final dress was an aqua blue, with diamond-like stones criss-crossing over her chest and up her neck, forming a collar of sorts from the top of her breasts up to the base of her neck. It was sleeveless, mid thigh and had a thin silver belt across her waist. She instantly fell in love. It flattered her figure immensely and made her feel like a classy woman, instead of a young girl.

"What do you think?" she asked her boss, who now stood slightly slumped against the wall, growing agitated.

"It is acceptable. Much like the others." he told her.

"Well I think this is the one I want. I love them all but this is especially beautiful," Rin beamed, giving an extra twirl to fan the skirt out.

"Very well." were Sesshomaru's only words.

Rin returned to the changing room and took the dress off. She handed all the dresses to the sales woman over the door before dressing herself back into her black skirt and white blouse.

When she walked out her jaw dropped. The woman was behind the register, ringing up every single dress and pair of shoes Rin had tried on while Sesshomaru stood before the woman on the other side, his credit card out and ready to go.

"WAIT! Just the aqua colored one miss! Not all of them!" Rin called, rushing across the store.

The sales woman looked from Rin to Sesshomaru, stopping her scanning of the dresses' tags. When Sesshomaru said nothing the woman looked to Rin once again. The woman said something she couldn't understand in English, but Rin could tell she seemed confused.

"Sesshomaru, you promised!" she yelled at him, feeling embarrassed.

"I never promised. Consider it a gift for accompanying me to New York on such short notice. Would you refuse a gift from me?" he asked, an incredulous look forming on his face.

Rin stomped her foot. "Okay, okay, fine. But NO more. You're my boss not my sugar daddy for Kami's sake." she spit out, crossing her arms.

Sesshomaru raised his eyebrow. "Sugar daddy?"

"I don't think you'd want to know." she told him, rolling her eyes.

The store associate finished ringing everything up. Rin's eye's bulged when she saw $2,476 pop up on the screen before Sesshomaru. He shrugged as if it were nothing and slid his card. A man came from the back of the story to load the merchandise into their waiting car while Rin and Sesshomaru stood off to the side.

"Sesshomaru.. thank you. Really. You don't have to do things like that." she said, blushing slightly.

"This Sesshomaru does nothing that he does not wish too. Do not concern yourself." he said with the wave of his hand.

"No," the girl whispered, placing her hand on his bicep to get his attention. "Don't blow my thank you off. No one has ever done such nice things for me. Ever. It means a lot."

Sesshomaru remained silent for a moment, looking down into her eyes before finally answering. "You are welcome, Rin."

The car ride back to the hotel was mostly silent except for the occasional 'oooh' and 'ahhh' from Rin while they passed something interesting. By the time they pulled into the hotel again Rin felt exhausted. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and take a nap.

She trudged through the lobby behind Sesshomaru, the demon pausing every few steps to make sure she was keeping up. Once they made it into the glass elevator Rin leaned against the wall and shut her eyes, partly out of weariness and partly from fear. She still had not grown accustomed to seeing the people shrink from the floor of the lobby as they climbed higher and higher.

Just as she felt her body start to relax the elevator came to a halt, Rin opened her eyes, only to realize they were no where near close to the 44th floor.

"Why did we stop?" she asked Sesshomaru, who only shrugged his shoulders at her.

For a another moment the two sat and waited, both assuming someone would be boarding from another floor to get to theirs. But no one came and the doors never opened.

Then it hit Rin. They were between floors.

"Oh Kami, Sesshomaru, I don't think the elevator should be stopped at all. Something is wrong with it. And for fuck's sake we're thirty stories up!" she raised her voice, holding her stomach, suddenly feeling nauseous.

"I am aware, Rin," Sesshomaru stated calmly.

Rin stared at him blankly for a moment. "Then why aren't you doing anything? Why didn't you say anything?" she questioned.

"I did not want to panic you. Help will arrive shortly. They have already noticed our suspended position." he told her, letting his eyes sink into hers.

She immediately felt calm as she looked into his eyes. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to her, she knew that much. Eyeing the floor below, she plastered herself to the wall behind her, sliding down to sit and put her head between her knees.

"What's wrong?" Sesshomaru asked her, towering above her.

"Uhm we're stuck in an elevator and heights make me nervous. Who knows how long we'll be up here. I think I'm going to be sick." she moaned, shaking her head against her arms.

"Try to relax. You humans are so fragile." he said with a scoff.

"Gee thanks, Sesshomaru. Such a jerk. The least you could do is try to keep my mind off of it." she told him, finally looking up and giving him the evil eye.

"Okay, fine. What would you like me to do exactly?" he pondered, seeming genuinely lost as to what he could do to keep her relaxed.

"Just talk to me."

Sesshomaru gave her a look. "Why do all human women insist on needless chatter to fill time up?"

Okay, insulting women was not what Rin had in mind but she'd take it. "Women like to talk. It's a thing. Why do demon men have to be so difficult all the time?" she shot back.

"Are you insinuating that I am difficult?"

"Yeah, I am. Because you are. They told me about all the secretaries leaving after one month."

He scoffed at her words and cross his arms. "They did not know how to do their jobs. If they had, they would have found it quite simple."

"I think I deserve a pay raise for putting up with you!" she told him, pointing her finger at him accusingly.

"Putting up with me?" he repeated, his eyebrow raised.

"Oh don't pretend, boss man. You want things done your way or the highway."

He gave a short, mocking laugh. "My way is the correct way, girl. If I am so difficult then why have you chosen to stay within my employment?"

Rin opened her mouth to answer, but fell short. Why was she still there? He could be difficult, but she didn't necessarily find the job itself too hard. "I guess because I do like working there. Even if I do have to put up with a difficult dog demon. Not to mention the disgusting sex noises coming from his brother's office."

"I cannot argue with you on that point. Inuyasha and your friend have reached far past the point of acceptable business relations in the office. It is becoming disturbing. I am surprised she is not with child already considering their.. daily activity."

"Ha!" Rin snorted. "You think the office is bad? You should see them at home. I really need to find a new place to live. They're starting to give me nightmares."

"I'm sure Inuyasha will be offically mating her soon. Then you can have your apartment to yourself. Inuyasha has a weakness for human women just as father does." he sneered.

Rin blinked, suddenly feeling hurt. "What's your problem with human women exactly? Let's not forget I'm one and you don't seem to mind me much!" she pointed out, raising her voice and standing.

"As I told you before women in general are an annoyance, but human women are much more so. Very emotional creatures. Crying at the slightest offense.. or easily losing their tempers at one." Sesshomaru said, disdain in his usually smooth voice.

At his words, Rin's jaw dropped. He was making fun of her. Of course. "You know, Sesshomaru, you really can be a jerk. Just because I'm human doesn't mean I deserve to be looked down on. I think I do a damn good job for you and you better start appreciating it more. Human or not I'm the best you've ever had! _And _you can go ahead and take all those dresses back too. Why would I want gifts from such an asshole?"

The air around the pair became deadly still, Rin frozen as she waited for Sesshomaru's reaction. He stood in front of her, not moving, until finally he bent his face down to hers. His voice was low, with an aggressive tone,"You will not speak to the future Lord of the West in that manner again, Rin. I put up with your witty banter and emotional outbursts, but I will not tolerate outright disrespect from a human child."

At that moment the elevator began moving again and Sesshomaru moved his face away, staring out the glass. Rin shrunk back against the wall, trying to even her breathing. She felt scared. He would never hurt her, and she knew that, but he had the power to. After all, she really was just a weak human girl, with only 18 years of knowledge, and he was one of the strongest demons in existence with 500 years of wisdom under his belt.

When the doors popped open with their usual ding, a short man with graying hair met them outside. Apparently he was the manager and came to apologize for the entire incident, but Rin didn't care. Letting Sesshomaru deal with the man she turned towards their suite, letting herself in with the key Sesshomaru had given her earlier in the day. Walking into her room, she slammed the door.

The room was filled with bags and boxes of the beautiful and expensive items Sesshomaru had bought her after lunch. Before she knew it tears rolled down her face. He had been very blunt on his feelings. And right when she had started to think he wasn't so bad after all and they had some sort of weird friendship forming.

Feeling overwhelmed by sadness, anger, exhaustion, and worry all at once Rin threw herself across the king size bed and cried loudly into the soft plushy pink covers. She cried until no more tears came out and her eyes grew heavy. Finally, she gave into the sleep that called her name, drifting off into a peaceful slumber.

When Rin woke up it was already five in the afternoon. She inwardly groaned. That left the rest of the night to have an awkward run in with Sesshomaru. Maybe she could see herself apologizing for 'disrespecting' him but she highly doubted he would bother to apologize to her. She wouldn't have it. Either he apologized or she was done working for him.

A buzzing sound tore her from her thoughts and she rushed over to her bag to pull out her phone. She opened it to a text from Charlie inviting her to dinner and a tour around Manhattan. She blushed. It sounded a little bit like a date. But why not? She wasn't seeing anyone and certainly held no feelings for anyone else. Especially Sesshomaru, her mind yelled as their near kiss flashed through it.

She told Charlie yes and told him where they were staying so he could pick her up. He replied saying he'd be there at 8 waiting for her in the lobby. A nervous excitement ran through her. She decided to take a long, hot shower, washing the negative emotions down the drain.

She shaved and rubbed a gentle scented lotion over her body. She had washed her hair out, letting it form back into the slight waves and curls, before blow drying the locks. Pulling her curling iron from her luggage she went to work, making sure each section she curled held a bouncy, perfect curl before moving to the next piece.

Rin walked into her room and scanned over all the bags and boxes. She searched through them all, setting the aqua dress aside for the business outing later in the week, she chose the green one with the bow on the waist. It had come with a gold necklace that acted almost like a collar and a golden pair of stiletto heels with criss-crossing straps covering her foot up to her ankle.

In a way she felt guilty wearing the exact gifts she had told Sesshomaru to take back. But she decided looking hot tonight was more important and they could be returned later if he chose not to apologize and rescinded the offer of his gifts.

Pulling her clothes and shoes on she took a look in the mirror. She looked gorgeous.

Somehow it was already 7:40 Rin realized, and she felt a slight panic wash over her. She grabbed a small simple black clutch and threw her wallet, phone, and hotel room key inside before opening the door of her room.

She glanced around nervously, relieved to see Sesshomaru didn't seem to be around right now. She closed her door with a click and made her way to the large door at the head of the room.

"Where are you going?" Sesshomaru's question broke through the silence.

Rin turned to face him. He still wore his suit from earlier. Did the man ever wear anything but business suits?

"Charlie invited me to dinner and wants to show me around the city. I accepted. I'll be back later," she said candidly, her hand resting on the door handle.

"That boy is a fool. You don't need to go anywhere with him. I do not trust him." Sesshomaru told her, stepping towards her.

"Well excuse me and my silly human emotions, but I think I like him. You're not the boss of me, Sesshomaru. At least not over my personal life." she spat out.

Sesshomaru drew himself to his full height, giving her a glare. "You are my ward while we are here, Rin. I am telling you not to go. I will not repeat myself a third time."

Rin was taken aback by his words. "I'm not your fucking ward. I'm your employee. I did my job today, and now I can do what I please." she huffed.

A scream escaped her pink tinted lips as Sesshomaru slammed his hands against the door on either side of her head. "You want to go out and have your fun, go ahead. I cannot deal with your weak, pathetic human tantrums any longer."

Rin stared at him, tears beginning to blind her. But she held them back, not wanting to ruin her thick mascara and eye liner.

He lifted his hands from the door and walked away, leaving a frightened Rin glued in horror against it. Finally, her senses returning, she whipped the door open and rushed out, running best she could in her high heels to the elevator.

On the ride down she did her best to regain her composure.

Charlie was already at the front of the lobby and rushed to greet her as she stepped off the elevator, a sweet smile gracing her lips. "Rin, you look absolutely gorgeous!" Charlie exclaimed, offering his arm to her.

Glancing behind her she could have sworn she saw Sesshomaru's silver hair. Deciding to ignore it, she took her date's arm and let him lead her to his car.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: As always thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming! I would consider this chapter a turning point in the story. And just a friendly reminder, this is rated M for mature, and this chapter definitely contains some mature content. If you like the story so far remember to follow and favorite to stay updated! I try to update every 2-4 days! =]**

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Rin glanced around the restaurant Charlie had chosen for their date. It wasn't the fanciest but it was nice, with soft glowing light for a romantic feel. The food was good so far and while her date sipped on wine, Rin sipped on her water since she was not the legal age to drink yet in the United States.

Charlie was very nice so far but Rin felt herself looking away from him and focusing on their surroundings. The restaurant made her think of Sesshomaru. Not because it was at all somewhere he would have taken her, but because it was somewhere he would _not_ have taken her. Sesshomaru certainly had fine taste and Charlie just didn't seem to.

She couldn't help but wonder what Sesshomaru was doing right now. Probably staring coldly at a blank wall. He could be so boring! But he could also be sweet, in his own way, and Rin knew she felt a certain sense of security with him. However, remembering his commanding and ruthless tone with her in the elevator her admiration quickly reverted back to anger.

Who was he to tell her what to do? So what if he was going to rule over an entire demon empire when his father passed it to him? Fuck him.

"Rin? Are you alright?" she heard Charlie say to her.

"What? Oh.. yeah! Why?"

"You were glaring daggers at me from across the table. Did I do something wrong?" he asked, a worried expression taking over his features.

"Oh Kami, no! I'm sorry, Charlie. My mind seemed to have drifted off for a moment. I was thinking about something is all." she said quickly, rushing the words out to calm his mind.

"Did something happen with Mr. Taisho?"

Rin's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Why would you ask about him?"

"Well he's the only one around you this entire week really. It just seemed to make sense." he told her, with a small smile and shrug.

"Yeah," Rin sighed, figuring she might as well tell her date why she was so distracted. "We got into an argument today. He can be such a difficult asshole and he's constantly taking digs at the human race. Pretty damn annoying when you consider I am part of it!" her voice raised slightly, irritation seeping out.

Charlie laughed and Rin gave him a confused look. "We don't have demons in the U.S. for the most part. Some have traveled here but very few. But I've met one or two and they all seem like that. I wouldn't let it bother you. He's just your boss anyway, right? Eventually you'll leave this job and work somewhere else and he will be nothing but a distant memory."

"I guess you're right. I certainly won't let him ruin my wonderful night with you!" Rin responded, plastering a fake smile across her face. Now she was bothered even more. He _was _just her boss, so why did she feel so emotionally provoked by him? They had almost kissed after all and that definitely didn't seem like something a plain old boss would come close to doing. Not to mention she had been a very willing participant.

She shook herself inwardly. Tonight she needed to get him off her mind. No way was he going to rule over yet another one of her days! She looked back to Charlie to tell him so but his seat was empty. She whirled to the side as a hand lowered in front of her face.

"Come on, Rin. Let's get out of here and have some fun. I know a place that won't care if you're 21 or not!" he chirped.

The young woman flashed him a wide smile, this one genuine, and grabbed his hand. He threw some cash on the table to cover their meal and escorted her back to his car.

As they pulled into a parking lot twenty minutes later, Rin's mouth dropped slightly. It looked nasty, with beer cans rolling around the pavement, trash over flowing from the outside trash cans, and half naked women resting against the wall, smoking their cigarettes.

Charlie caught her look and rested his hand on her shoulder. "I know it looks bad but the people here are so much fun. You'll love it. Plus, I know the bartender so he'll give you as many drinks as you want, no questions asked."

Rin nodded but immediately felt uncomfortable. Sure, she wanted to have fun. But hanging out with half dressed sluts in a trashy bar wasn't really on her list under fun. Stepping out of the car she took Charlie's arm and headed inside the establishment, the women outside leering at her.

She was way over dressed. If only she had known and worn a slightly less fancy dress. Her gold high heels didn't help either. Each man in the bar turned their heads to make eyes at her, their mouths slightly agape.

Rin looked at the floor until they reached the bar, Charlie helping her onto a stool before seating himself closely next to her. He spoke to the bartender in English causing the man to glance over Rin with a mischievous grin. Rin smiled politely, tucking her hair behind her hair as a nervous gesture.

"He says your very pretty and wondered how I got such a beautiful lady to go on a date with me," Charlie translated for her. Rin nodded, looking over to the bartender with thankful nod.

"His name is Roger. We've known each other a few years. What would you like to drink?" he asked her, scanning over her face, hand resting over her own.

"Oh.. uhm.. Just surprise me I guess." Rin replied. She was too busy looking nervously around the dumpy bar to care what he gave her at this point.

After a moment Roger slid a glass of dark liquid down the bar to her with a nod before turning to another customer, leaving her to stare at the drink pensively.

"It's called a Jager Bomb," Charlie said when he realized she seemed to be lost. "If I were you I'd just tip it back all at once and get it over with."

"Well that doesn't sound very promising," Rin said bitterly. But she followed his directions. Her first reaction was to sputter and choke at the sharp taste but she continued to drain the glass until every drop was gone, ignoring the slight burn in her throat.

She felt her face contorting and she shuddered. "YUCK." she cried, slamming the glass back to the wooden bar top. "That was disgusting." she muttered, turning to Charlie.

Rin could tell he was trying to keep his face impassive but as soon as she looked at him harder he busted out into laughter. "Oh man Rin! That was fucking hilarious. Best 'first time Jager' reaction I've ever seen."

Rin shot him a dirty look. But before she could tell him off for making fun of her, an older woman of at least 40 sauntered over to where they sat, leaning against Charlie's shoulder, while staring hard at Rin.

"What's the matter little miss classy? Too pretty to get dirty with your drinks?" she jeered, setting the surrounding audience into a roll of laughter.

Rin wasn't sure what she said but she could tell it wasn't anything nice. She looked to Charlie to translate but he looked away, seeming unsure if he should. She nudged his leg roughly and he finally told her.

Her eyes widened and her jaw became locked. "I'm no miss classy, though I certainly have more class than you, you nasty tramp!" she yelled out, looking from Charlie to the woman so he would tell the lady what she said.

The woman just laughed, slapping a somewhat masculine hand on Rin's thin shoulder, and said something with more laughter.

"She said your next drink is on her." Charlie snorted with a shake of his head. Rin was confused but nodded to the woman in thanks anyway.

She slammed the palm of her hand to the bar and shouted, "Another, bar keep!" Roger glanced at her knowing just by her actions what she wanted.

Before Rin knew it she had knocked back seven Jaeger Bombs, each one becoming easier than the last to accept, even tasting slightly like black licorice. Despite her lack of English the rest of the bar patrons quickly accepted her and they all clanked glasses, laughing about something unknown, becoming more and more drunk with each passing moment.

"Are you having fun, Rin?" Charlie shouted to her over the noise surrounding them.

"More fun than I've had in a long time! More fun than I've ever had in America! More fun than I've ever had this whole trip!" she shouted gleefully, throwing her arms around his neck sloppily.

"You've only been here one day, dear!" he called back, running his hand down her face.

"Oh really? Seems like so much longer!" she yelled with a giggle.

"You're so hot, Rin." Charlie told her suddenly, his voice raised, but slightly lower.

Rin nodded, unsure of what her response should be. She was considering the right words, pushing through the jumble in her brain, when Charlie's lips smashed into hers. Quite literally. His face knocked against her as he tried to give her a kiss, their drunken states throwing them both off. For a brief moment Rin contemplated pulling away, but decided against it, instead letting the man straighten his head out.

As he moved in the second time, their lips met smoothly, their lips still sticky with liquor. Charlie held her against him tightly while she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her breasts against his chest. He moved his hand down to cup her butt, earning a slight squeak from his partner.

But as the moment became more clear, Rin felt dread pour through her from head to toe. This felt wrong. She was very drunk. He was very drunk. They were in a disgusting bar with even more disgusting clientele. Her brain told her to end the kiss and run away but her body wouldn't listen. Instead she found herself opening her mouth and allowing his tongue to push past her lips.

Finally, after an internal struggle between her mind and body raged, she pulled herself away from Charlie's embrace.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, not bothering to hide the lust in his eyes, nor the lust bulging from his pants.

"I..." Rin stuttered, trying to make her mind work, pushing it to form the words she knew she needed to say. "I don't feel well. I think I need to use the ladies room." she managed to say, while pushing herself off her bar stool. "I'll be back!" she called over her shoulder to an obviously confused and annoyed Charlie.

She stumbled to the bathroom, relieved to find a wall to lean against for support as she walked inside. The mirror was filthy with flecks of dried liquid dotting her reflection's face. Rin leaned on the sink, trying to focus on the image in the mirror. She shook her head at what she saw; her make up was a mess, her hair frizzy, and her eyes sunken into her skull. Being drunk was not a good look for her she decided.

Grabbing a piece of toilet paper from the stall behind her, she dabbed at her face, cleaning herself up. She brushed at her hair with numb fingers, trying to smooth the frizz away, but before she could finish Charlie opened the door of the restroom, leaning against the door, his arms folded.

"Charlie what the hell! I'll be right there, okay? I just need a minute," Rin assured him, feeling annoyed.

"You need a lot more than a minute, Rin. You need.. a man." he spat out, his eyes heavily lidded, and his head lolling forward on his chest slightly.

"Wha..what do you mean?" she asked him, confusion replacing her annoyance.

Charlie stepped inside the small bathroom completely, letting the door slam behind him, placing his body between it and his prey. "I mean you need a man to show you a good time. I bet you've never had the pleasure of.. pleasure." he slurred.

Rin felt a chilling darkness strike her mind and heart as his words clicked in her mind, catching their meaning. She backed against the stall, realizing he had trapped her inside the room. She glanced around and saw nothing to defend herself with.

"Charlie, Charlie, listen to me, okay? We can talk about this more, alright? Let's go back out to the bar and have one more drink and then we can go home." she pleaded. But her soft words fell on deaf ears.

The man took a step towards her, grabbing her hair and yanking it back and down until her head tipped backwards exposing her neck. He nuzzled his nose up it's length until he ran into her jaw line, placing a chaste kiss along the bone. His lips moved back down and he began biting and sucking at her neck.

Rin screamed, desperately trying to push him away, but his grip was locked around her too tightly. She twisted her body to the left and then to the right, stomping her feet, and scratching at his arms. Charlie let out a laugh, slapping her roughly across the mouth, knocking her to the ground by the sink.

Seeing an opportunity to run, Rin moved her body towards the door, but Charlie cut her off, yanking her up by her wrist. He slammed her body back against the wall, gripping the dainty fabric of her dress and yanking at it. The material ripped open, exposing her pink lace bra and she cried it out.

"Did you wear this just for me?" Charlie asked her, tracing his forefinger along the lacy edges, making Rin shudder. He cupped a breast in his hand and grinded his erection into her crotch, licking at her neck.

Rin tipped her head back, thinking maybe she could disappear into her mind until it was over.

NO.

This was not going to happen to her. This would not be part of her story.

She heard herself let out a deafening scream in hopes someone might hear over the loud music and drunken voices echoing in the bar. Her knee jerked up hard, connecting with Charlie's groin. He yelped in pain, stumbling to the side, hand flying to his manhood.

Rin took the opportunity to step towards the door past him but he shot up, gripping her hair, his hand raised, poised to land a hard punch across her jaw. Rin braced herself for the hit, closing her eyes tightly, tears rolling in waves down her cheeks. But it never came.

Opening her eyes, they widened in shock. In front of her stood Sesshomaru, still in his suit, hand squeezing Charlie's throat tightly, the fragile human trying to choke out words begging for mercy.

"Ah, you want mercy human? And what mercy did you have planned for my Rin? Scum such as yourself do not deserve to breathe the same air as her. Ending your life is of no consequence to me," Sesshomaru bit out, his eyes becoming tinted with pink.

Rin gasped as she watched them turn into a deeper shade of red, deep growls escaping from within Sesshomaru's throat. At that moment Rin saw Charlie's face going blue. She couldn't let Sesshomaru kill the man. As much as he deserved to be punished, Rin did not want his death on her conscience.

"Sesshomaru, STOP, _please_?!" she screamed to him, feeling afraid to go near him while he was releasing his yokai.

He turned his head towards her, red eyes falling on her desperate face. "Rin, this man does not deserve to live."

"I just want to go home, Sesshomaru." she told him, more tears rushing down her face, her body trembling.

Sesshomaru stared at her for a moment longer, but his grip on Charlie's neck slowly loosened. The crimson left his eyes as he dropped Charlie's still body to the floor. Rin saw the man's chest rising slightly and knew Sesshomaru had spared his life for the time being.

The demon stepped towards her tentatively, but Rin closed the gap between them, running to him and pressing her face into his chest. She let the sobs she had been holding in escape, her body convulsing against his. She felt his arms wrap around her tightly and his face bent to her head, nuzzling it slightly.

He pulled away, making Rin jerk her head up in disappointment. She felt she needed his embrace or she wouldn't be able to control her frazzled emotions. He was pulling his jacket off, though his eyes never left hers. He wrapped it around her, covering her exposed chest. This set Rin off into another round of sobs as she remembered why she needed his jacket at all.

Sesshomaru pulled her into his arms, picking her up in his usual way, holding her to him tightly. He kicked the door of the bathroom open violently, making the drunkards screech in fear. They gaped at the silver haired demon, many of them having never seen one before.

"If I ever see that man near this girl again I will kill him," he said, turning his head slightly in the bartender's direction. The man nodded, trying to conceal the wet spot forming through his pants.

Rin knew they had made it out of the bar but somehow had arrived at their hotel within what seemed to be only minutes. She could have sworn they had been flying within a sphere of light but her mind felt so murky she couldn't be sure.

Sesshomaru carried her into her bedroom, setting her down gently. She stared down at her ripped dress feeling lost. A nudge brought her eyes back up and she saw Sesshomaru had grabbed a sleeping gown for her. She took the green dress off, throwing it in the corner with disgust, and took the long t shirt from her boss's hands and slipped it over her head, suddenly not caring if he saw her in her bra and panties.

He lifted the covers of the bed for her. Rin climbed in, letting her body sink into the plush mattress, deciding a shower would have to wait until morning. She saw Sesshomaru turn and walk towards the door.

"No, please.. don't leave me alone. Please." she pleaded in a barely there whisper. His head turned back slightly for a moment and he paused, but eventually he moved back towards her bed. Pulling the large padded chair from the corner he sat beside her, slumped down, his arms crossed and head down. They stayed this way for an hour or so, Sesshomaru seeming to be resting while Rin tossed and turned, memories of the night constantly flooding her.

Finally, she gave up on sleep and instead focused her attention on Sesshomaru's still form. He had rescued her again. He had said 'my Rin.'

Rin shrugged his words off, not wanting to consider their meaning at the moment. But she knew she felt safest when in his arms tonight so she threw the covers off of her legs and got out of the bed, standing in front of him. His head raised slightly and cocked to the side. She said nothing as she sat down onto his lap, resting her legs over his knees, her feet dangling over the side of them. She brought her head to the crook of his neck, wrapping her arms tightly around it, breathing in his scent.

Sesshomaru wrapped his arm around her tightly, resting his head against hers as he listened to the girl's heartbeat drum slower and slower until she was asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Rin shifted slightly, her own movement slowly waking her from the deep sleep she found herself in. The world around her seemed fuzzy and she tried to open her eyes and focus them. In front of her vision was a muscular and pale neck. Her mind suddenly turned it's gears and she remembered whose neck it was and why she had her face against it.

He had saved her. Again. Except this time he had really, truly saved her. Her life had been in jeopardy and if Sesshomaru hadn't stepped in she didn't even want to think about the condition she would be in right now.

Her body gave an involuntary shudder and she felt strong arms squeeze around her more tightly. "Are you alright, Rin?" she heard him ask, his voice rumbling deep in his chest and vibrating her body.

Rin moved her head back to look into his face. "I am. But only because of you. If you hadn't been there..." she trailed off, tears rolling down her face. She hugged his neck tightly, pushing her face back into it, trying to gain her composure. "How did you know where I was?" she asked once the lump left her throat.

Sesshomaru was silent for a moment but finally answered,"I did not trust him. I followed you to that disgusting establishment. I stayed around the vicinity and when I heard your screams I was able to intervene."

Rin nodded, slightly annoyed he had followed her but so thankful he had in the end. "You shouldn't have followed me, Sesshomaru. But obviously your instinct was right," she admitted, looking into his eyes once again. "I'm sorry we argued. I was disrespectful and lost my temper."

"Hn," was his only response.

The silence echoed in Rin's ears while she sat and waited for his apology for becoming so aggressive in the elevator. She cleared her throat pointedly.

"Is there something you wish to say, Rin?" Sesshomaru inquired, an eyebrow quirked.

Rin let out a sigh. Could she really be overly picky right now when he had just done something so huge for her?

Rin decided she could.

"Well I just think it's usually customary for _both_ parties to apologize when they are _both_ in the wrong. That's all." she said with a shrug.

"This Sesshomaru was not aware he was in the wrong."

After resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Rin sweetly said, "Well you were."

"You are being difficult."

"Geez you'd think you've never apologized before!" she chirped with a disbelieving frown.

Sesshomaru stared blankly at her.

"You really haven't? Well you better start getting used to it. If you want this relationship to work we both have to be able to apologize and solve our problems without arguing so much," she explained earnestly.

"Relationship?"

Rin blushed. "_Work _relationship. Might be part of the reason all those other secretaries left." she pointed out with a slight huff.

The demon looked into her eyes as he slightly loosened his grip on her. She moved around his lap uncomfortably but refused to allow herself to leave his embrace until he apologized.

"And what pray tell, am I apologizing for?" he wondered to her.

Rin put her face in her hand. DAMN was this man difficult. "Your never ending insults against humans, specifically human women."

"I apologize for upsetting your fragile mind with the harsh truth of the human species, therefore causing you to run out and get assaulted, which I rescued you from. This apology comes despite your lack of thanks for said rescue of course." he bit out, annoyance flashing in his eyes.

The girl looked down, feeling an overwhelming sense of sadness. "You're right. I haven't said thank you yet and I'm sorry for that too." Rin lifted her hand and caressed his cheek with the tips of her fingers. "Thank you so much, Sesshomaru. You're my hero." she added for good measure.

Their eyes locked and they sat staring at one another until finally Sesshomaru helped her off his lap and stood. "We are going home."

"What?" she asked, eyes going wide. "Why?"

"You need to be with friends and family, Rin. And if I stay here I will murder that human boy and as much as it would please me, you do not seem to want that to happen."

"I just want to forget it ever happened and I don't want his blood on my hands, even if it is indirectly because of your hands and not mine. Please don't cancel the rest of your trip just because of me. I can go back alone. Take care of things here." she pleaded, a guilt washing over her.

"The matter is closed . A flight is scheduled for 1:00PM. Why don't you pack and get ready for the day. I do have one last manner of business to take care of before we leave," Sesshomaru told her. He rubbed his forefinger along the edge of her jaw, making her stomach twist in knots.

She nodded, feeling tongue tied, as he walked out of her room, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Rin turned from the door and stared at the reflection she saw in the floor length mirror the room boasted. Her hair was a mess, her make up was running, and bruises were showing on her face and arms. A new wave of tears poured from her eyes.

Rin ran a bath with the hottest water she thought she could stand and climbed in the tub, immediately scrubbing herself hard. She wanted to wash every thought, memory, and physical remnant of Charlie down that drain and never think of him again. He had seemed so nice before. Was it all an act? Maybe. Or else he was just extremely affected by the alcohol and it turned him into a different person.

Rin lowered herself into the water until her head was submerged. She ran her fingers through silky hair and tried to untangle the knots it contained. After scrubbing her scalp and running conditioner through her locks, she stepped out.

She finished dressing and put on some simple make up before twisting her hair into a high pony tail to dry naturally. She slipped on a simple light blue sundress that hugged her breasts but fanned out over her hips. Truth be told she was slightly relieved to be going home and gave a small smile as she packed her belongings back into her suitcase. When her stomach grumbled loudly she realized she hadn't eaten yet and opened the door to find her way to the kitchen.

But what she saw stopped her dead in her tracks as she exited the room. Outside on the balcony sat a large, round table covered in a creme colored table cloth. Rin was sure the table had been there previously but the table cloth seemed to be a new addition. The table was adorned with fancy looking breakfast foods and two place settings.

Rin ran out to the balcony and eyed the table. Did Sesshomaru do this? Two glasses of orange juice sat in thin champagne glasses. She sat down and pulled some eggs and bacon onto her plate and reached out to take a sip of the juice. After a small sip she sputtered, noticing there seemed to be alcohol mixed in with the orange juice.

"I see you have started without me," a baritone voice cut in, interrupting her inspection of the drink.

She looked up to see Sesshomaru standing in front of her in grey slacks and a dark blue shirt, the same one she loved so much. The sleeves were rolled up and the collar unbuttoned, extremely unusual for him. But he looked as handsome as ever and Rin blushed slightly when she noticed she had been staring at him for far too long.

"Did you do all this? Or is this something they do every morning?" she asked, pointing to the food and the beautiful bouquet of flowers in front of her.

"I thought you might enjoy something a little more special this morning," he said with a wave of his hand as if it were nothing.

But Rin smiled widely at him, knowing he had taken extra care to do something nice for her. "Flowers too?"

"Yes. I seem to remember lilies being your favorite," he stated, beginning to eat.

"I'm surprised you remember, Sesshomaru. It's very sweet of you!" she cried with a clap of her hands. Rin found herself quickly forgetting last night already.

"Hn."

The ate in silence, both enjoying the view of the city before them, as well as the river.

"You seem to be dressed super casual boss man," Rin cut in, ending the peaceful silence.

Sesshomaru huffed before replying,"I do not feel the need to dress more professionally today. My meeting will be quick with those fools and I will be arriving back to you."

Rin cocked her head. He said it like he wanted to be back with her as quickly as possible. She remembered his words from the night before. 'My Rin'. What exactly did he mean? And should she ask? Sesshomaru was not really the sharing type so Rin immediately felt asking him directly would just be a waste of time. She would have to be more subtle.

"Do you wish to be back with me quickly?" she poised.

"My time would be better spent in your company than with those bumbling American buffoons," he told her after a slight pause.

Rin tilted her chin up and became lost in thought. So he liked spending time with her?

"Rin. Rin?" she heard. Sesshomaru's voice stayed low but she heard a hint of agitation creeping in, taking over the usually cold tone.

"Huh? Oh sorry. I was just.. thinking."

"About?" he asked, arching his elegant silver brow.

Rin gulped, feeling nervous, but decided being honest may be the only way to draw the demon from his shell after all. "Honestly, I was thinking about how safe I felt in your arms. How you said, 'my Rin' last night and how you keep doing all these amazingly sweet things for me, your plain, human secretary," she rushed out, barely breathing and waited for his response.

The demon lord simply stared at her, locking his eyes with hers. After a moment he broke their link and stood up, offering his hand to her. When she accepted, placing her small delicate hand in his large hand, he pulled her to a standing position.

"What do you think you are implying, little girl?" he inquired, his eyes boring a hole into her, waiting for her response.

"I..I.. Well.. I'm.." Rin stuttered, trying to find the right words. Was he angry with her? She couldn't tell as his face remained as impassive as ever.

Sesshomaru stepped closer to her, taking her chin in his hand and tilting her head upwards. His other arm snaked around her back and he looked down into her large brown eyes for a second before lowering his face to hers.

His lips brushed against hers lightly, but it was enough to send a fire through her entire body. Rin gasped against his lips, caught off guard by his sudden show of affection. She felt him smirk, but it was short lived as he pressed his lips harder to hers. For a moment Rin stood against him, completely frozen, but as the kiss lingered on she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding it tightly, secretly praying that the kiss never ended.

But it did. Sesshomaru pulled his face away from hers, watching her heavy lids trying to rise back up. Rin felt drunk. Her brain was muddled and all she could think about was how amazing his lips had felt pressed on hers. It was by no means her very first kiss, but it might as well have been because she sure as hell had never been kissed like that before. The fire still raged in her body, especially deep down low in her belly. She knew what it meant and immediately became flustered upon remembering Sesshomaru's gift for smelling arousal and other emotions.

She could feel her face burning red and her hand flew to her cheek, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Her eyes focused on Sesshomaru, who was simply watching her, while looking amused.

Rin was still trying to gather her thoughts when Sesshomaru's voice broke in. "I will meet you at the airport, Rin. I have one last matter of business to take care of before we leave. The bellhop will come up to escort you and our belongings to the car." he turned to leave, flipping a strand of hair behind his back.

"WAIT!" she cried. "Aren't we going to talk about this?"

"About what?" he asked dumbly.

Rin felt annoyance stabbing at her. He was joking right? "For Kami's sake, Sesshomaru. Can you not be difficult just for once? We just kissed. Your my boss. I work for you. I mean.. I just don't.. what's.. oh for the love of fuck!" she finally shouted in aggravation.

"Rin, calm yourself. We will discuss things aboard the plane. We will have thirteen hours to do so." he told her.

Before she could protest, he leaped off the building, only to turn into an orb of white light zooming through the skyline. Rin stared after him, her usual frustration with him returning. She balled her fists up and let out a scream.

"YOU ARE SO AGGRAVATING YOU DAMN DOG!" she shouted hoping the wind would carry her words to his sensitive demon ears somehow.

The next few hours went by quickly, as Rin was completely enraptured with thoughts of the kiss she shared with Sesshomaru. Questions built up in her mind until the list was surely a mile long. She wondered where this left them and her employment status with him. Were they dating? Did he only want sex?

No. Sesshomaru didn't really seem like the type to only want sex. Then again, he didn't seem like the type to kiss her either. Or hold her in his arms while she slept.

Before she knew it the bellhop was knocking at the suite's door, lugging the huge cart behind him. After pulling all the bags onto the cart, he and Rin headed into the elevator. She closed her eyes, still unnerved by the glass enclosure, and rushed off as soon as they hit the lobby. The young boy packed up the car for her and bid her farewell.

"Oh gosh I feel awful. I don't have anything to tip you with." she said, blushing slightly at such a snafu, trying to convey her words with hand motions, since he didn't seem to understand Japanese.

"No worries, miss. Mr. Taisho has taken care of everything already." A man said walking up to them. His Japanese was slightly broken, but good enough to get his point across. Sesshomaru really always did take care of everything. Rin gave a nod of relief and bid them farewell.

When she arrived at the airport she saw Sesshomaru standing in front of the plane's staircase on the tarmac. She looked closer as she neared him and saw he was changing his shirt. She frowned, considering how strange it was for him to be doing such a thing. He handed his blue shirt off to a stewardess and Rin could have sworn she saw flecks of crimson red on it, but she shrugged it off.

By the time she reached him he wore a new plain white shirt. "Are you ready?" he asked her, offering his hand to her.

She accepted it with a nod.

As ready as she'd ever be for the conversation she was about to have with her boss she guessed.

She stepped onto the staircase, her nerves tingling with anticipation, and walked onto the plane.

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**A/N: Slightly shorter than normal, friends. Don't be disappointed. This was just a natural ending point it seemed. I hope I am keeping you interested so far. Also, crimson red? I'll let your imaginations run wild with what it might have been. =] Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews as always. So many of you make my day with your sweet words.  
And so the story continues! =]  
Don't forget to follow and favorite if you haven't already!**

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The airplane was now two hours into it's journey back to Japan and Sesshomaru had yet to speak a word to her. Rin tried to remain calm and patient, knowing those were traits the demon lord appreciated but her true emotions were slowly showing through. She fidgeted slightly with the magazine she was pretending to read. She turned the page, staring at it, moving her eyes as if she were reading the tiny words.

Sesshomaru sat next to her, going over work on his laptop as if nothing had happened earlier whatsoever, especially not a passionate kiss with his young secretary. He had barely spared her even a glance since they boarded the aircraft. Rin let out a heavy sigh, her patience waning.

"Is something wrong?" Sesshomaru asked, finally looking over to her.

"Nope. Nothing at all," she replied back, sarcasm dripping from her words.

Sesshomaru apparently caught her hint because he shut his laptop with a sigh. "Say what you would like to say, Rin."

"How about NO. You say something, Sesshomaru. Explain to me what it is we're doing here," she told him, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. But before he could speak she continued, a rage filling her eyes. "I mean you scare the shit out of me in that elevator all because I'm sick if hearing you say how awful humans are. WELL EXCUSE ME! I'M HUMAN! And then suddenly you're following me on dates and kissing me. Well if humans are so bad what are you kissing me for then, hm?" she half shouted, her arms now waving around.

After her tirade Sesshomaru remained silent. Rin stared him down with her meanest look possible before finally shouting, "WELL?"

"I simply was not sure if you were finished yelling at this Sesshomaru. But since you are, I will explain what you want to know," he paused, waiting for her nod to continue. He remained silent a momeht long before speaking. "I do not know," he said finally.

Rin's mouth opened slightly, her brows drawing down. "What do you mean you 'don't know'?"

"I am not accustomed to having.. a draw.. to anyone. Especially a creature as simple as a human girl. Yes, I see humans in a somewhat negative light. But you are different, Rin," Sesshomaru said, his usually blank amber eyes full of emotion.

The girl waited for him to continue but when he only looked at her she said softly,"Different how?"

He didn't speak for a moment, he seemed to be struggling emotionally. Rin suddenly felt guilty. This man obviously had difficulties sharing his feelings and here she was pushing him to do it.

"Okay. It's fine. I'm different. What do you want to do though?" she asked him, shaking her head in confusion. "You're my boss. I don't think it's appropriate for us to be having a.. thing," she finished lamely.

"Then I will remain your boss. A kiss does not mean anything more needs to happen," he said, a slight edge in his voice.

Rin stared at his lovely features, wondering if she had hurt his feelings. She wanted to be more to one another but she was only an eighteen year old girl. What did she know about love? Dating? Or more importantly, demons? Their rituals to find a husband or wife were different from that of humans. Rin felt uneasy about getting too involved in things she knew nothing about. Any other girl would have fallen all over Sesshomaru and here Rin was tugging away. Was she dumb?

"It was a wonderful kiss.. I just.. I don't know-" she stumbled, trying to find the words to describe what she saw as her predicament.

But Sesshomaru cut in harshly, "Consider the matter settled. No explanation needed."

Her mouth fell slightly open at his tone but she nodded. Was she making a mistake? Or would it be more of a mistake to start having some sort of relationship with her boss? Her mind led her down different paths of scenarios and none of them ended well for her and her demon boss.

He was a rich, powerful demon ruling over a financial empire and eventually his own demon empire. She was nothing but a human child, barely out of infancy compared to Sesshomaru. It just wouldn't work out. She looked back to Sesshomaru and found he was already back to work on his laptop, not even sparing her a glance. Rin felt her shoulders slump.

After giving the man one more look she pulled out a book she had bought in the airport and began reading. The flight had ten remaining hours and she was sure they would eventually speak again.

But they didn't. She slept some, being careful not to let her head fall onto Sesshomaru's shoulder, and read. Sesshomaru paid her no mind until she woke up right before landing, telling her she might want to start gathering her things up.

"I will drop you off at home," he told her.

"Oh okay. Thank you. Are you sure it won't be a bother?" she ventured, hoping to draw him from his silent state.

"No, it won't be." was all he said, before powering down his computer and sliding it into his leather briefcase.

The plane landed hard, Rin gripping the arm rests of her chair tightly as the plane jumped, hitting bumps as it tried to slow itself on the asphalt. As they slowed and began the short journey to the tarmac where they could exit, she gave Sesshomaru another peek, but immediately decided against saying anything to him. His hand held his chin and he stared out the window of the aircraft pensively, seemingly lost in his own deep thoughts.

By the time the plane stopped and they made their way down the small staircase to the ground, Rin was about to burst into tears. He was obviously angry. He had opened up to her, kissed her, and in a way she had rejected him. But her thoughts were soon forgotten as she saw the car that sat before her. It was black corvette convertible, it's top already down.

"Who's car is this?" she wondered out loud, hoping the demon standing next to her would answer.

"Mine."

"Yours? When you said you'd drop me off you meant specifically, you?" she said, surprised he was planning on driving. She had never seen him drive in the nearly three months she had been under his employment.

"Yes. Get in," he ordered, holding her door open for her. Rin swallowed but stepped inside.

Once they were both settled in she swiveled to look at him. "You DO have a drivers license, right?"

"No. One such as myself does not need a small piece of plastic to know how to drive," he said with a shrug.

"Oh." was all she could answer back, secretly praying they didn't get pulled over. She could only imagine he would be an extremely difficult person to deal with for cops.

He started the car once their seat belts were safely put on with loud clicks. And boy was Rin glad. He stepped on the gas and the car took off with a monstrous boom. Sesshomaru seemed to enjoy speeding, though Rin did not. She gripped the handle of her door, her small feet, digging into the imaginary brakes below her feet that she wished were real.

"For Kami's sake, Sesshomaru! Slow down!" she screeched, as they took a sharp turn. "You're going to get us killed!"

The demon spared her a halting glance and pressed the breaks, coming to a slower pace as they turned onto her street. "I simply thought you might enjoy some excitement."

"Yeah well, not this type of excitement. Besides, I think I've had enough excitement the past two days to last me a lifetime," she muttered back as they were pulling up to her apartment. "Thanks for the ride, _sir._ I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"You will not," he replied.

"Huh? Why?"

"I have given you and Kagome both the day off. It is this Sesshomaru's belief that a day or two off to discuss what happened with your friend will help you greatly." he explained, offering his hand to help her out of his corvette.

Rin sighed. He was looking out for her. Again. Maybe she did need some time to decompress and get the emotions of the past few days out. "Alright. Thank you, Sesshomaru," she whispered, giving his large hand a small squeeze. He simply offered his usual silent nod and watched her walk up the stairs to her door.

Rin unlocked the door as quietly as possible, realizing at two in the morning Kagome should be asleep. But as she opened the door a glare of light hit her along with unbearably loud music from a horror movie.

"Oh my Kami, RIN! You scared the shit out of us!" she heard Kagome yell, running up to her best friend and grabbing her luggage from her hand. "What the hell are you doing home already?"

Rin looked from Kagome over to the couch at her use of 'us' and saw Inuyasha sitting there, watching her intently. His darker golden eyes reminding her so much of her boss's lighter amber orbs. Before she could say anything she burst into tears. Kagome gasped and wrapped her arms around Rin tightly, petting her head trying to offer comfort. Instead Rin sobbed harder, gasping for air, holding Kagome's t-shirt in an iron grip.

She saw Kagome look to Inuyasha with a worried expression.

"She has Sesshomaru's scent all over her," he told Kagome in a low voice. "Did he do something to ya, Rin?" he asked, turning his gaze downwards to look at the crying young woman.

Rin sniffled, trying to gain control. "No, not really. Kinda. I don't know any more!" she yelled out, sending herself into another round of sobs.

Finally after crying for a few more moments, Kagome led her to the couch and helped her get comfortable. "Okay girl, start from the beginning. And don't leave anything out."

By the end of Rin's tale both Inuyasha and Kagome looked incredibly sad. "Do you think you need to go get counseling or something, Rin?" Kagome questioned, a hand on her shoulder. "You've really been through something with that Charlie guy."

"No.. it's weird but Sesshomaru being there.. holding me.. it just made it all go away somehow," Rin told her, shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders.

"So why'dya turn the stupid bastard down?" Inuyasha wondered to her, quirking an eyebrow.

"Turn him down?" she asked incredulously.

Inuyasha snorted. "Well yeah, kid. Him saying he was draw to you is about as close as your ever going to get to him saying he likes ya, and he wants to date."

"I do not date," Rin replied in her best Sesshomaru impression.

"Well to him it would be courting." Inuyasha explained.

Rin thought back to their conversation on board the plane home. He hadn't really asked her anything, so she wasn't sure how she could have completely turned him down. But he had seemed miffed when she seemed hesitant. Could it be that the stoic lord had feelings after all? And for her? She gave a small laugh. It kind of seemed like he did but surely such a powerful demon would not truly be drawn to a small human girl.

He had used the word drawn she realized. He said he was drawn to her. Had she made a mistake?

"Couldn't he get in trouble for all this? I mean he's my superior. I thought we weren't allowed to date?" she inquired, breaking the silence that had settled between the trio.

Inuyasha and Kagome both laughed uncontrollably for a moment. "Oh man come on Rin! Are you serious? Look at us. We run the company. Dad is the only one above us and do ya think he gives a shit if we decide to sleep with our secretaries or interns?" Inuyasha pointed out with another snort.

"That's true I guess," Rin admitted. "This is just a lot all at once."

Kagome nodded sympathetically. "I know it is. You said Sesshomaru gave you the next few days off though right? And me too? Why don't we go to a spa or something and just really relax and talk about everything? You don't have to decide right now what to think about him." Kagome told her patting her on the shoulder.

Rin crawled into her bed and immediately fell asleep, letting the darkness over come her. Her dreams were dark and twisted though and she snapped awake multiple times, the memories of hands gripping her and harming her becoming fleeting as she rubbed away the sleep from her eyes.

Finally, her alarm beeped at ten in the morning. Rin was groggy but eagerly woke up and jumped in the shower, excited for her spa date with Kagome. She left all her make up off and her hair wet in a pony tail, ready for the pampering to begin.

"Are you ready?" Kagome asked as Rin walked into the kitchen, grabbing a banana for breakfast.

"Am I EVER!" Rin cried.

"Well Inuyasha offered to pay for all of it," Kagome said, happiness shining through her eyes.

"What? No way! I can't let him do that, Kagome!" Rin shouted.

"Oh hush. It's a done deal my friend. He's already called ahead and paid for it all. I hope you're ready for an extremely relaxing and an extremely expensive spa day," Kagome replied, clapping her hands and grabbing the car keys.

The spa was only a few minutes away and with Kagome's excessive speeding due to her excitement and impatience they made it in record time. First the two women were handed mimosa's and luxurious soft bathrobes. They undressed, pulling the plush robes over their thin bodies. Rin twisted her long hair into a bun and sipped on her drink, remembering doing the same right before Sesshomaru's unexpected kiss the other morning.

The full body massages came next with two incredibly handsome and muscular masseuses. Rin and Kagome fawned over the men winking to each other behind the men's backs.

"I don't think Inuyasha knew exactly what he was paying for when he did this," Rin whispered to Kagome. Her best friend giggled and shook her head.

"He's so jealous, he'd die if he were here. That's one thing about inuyokai's you should know, Rin. They are extremely possessive and jealous. Once they think you're theirs, that's it," Kagome said with a light hearted laugh.

"I don't know if I want to be his or not.." Rin began, but stopped as a wave of tension was released off her back. The man massaging her was so good she could feel all her worries and troubles rolling away off her back. "We'll see," was all she said, letting silence sink between them as they both enjoyed the massages.

Rin rolled over on her back so the man could massage her feet, hands, arms, and face. She closed her eyes, enjoying it a little more than she should have maybe. Normally she would be in Sesshomaru's office escorting his various guests into the meeting room. Or begging him to let her have lunch a little earlier today because she was starving. He'd usually ignore her for awhile but eventually give in, waving his hand and telling her to go. Other times he'd invite her to lunch with him, both eating in companionable silence or discussing anything that needed to be done the rest of the day.

It hit Rin suddenly, that she missed him. Not a lot, but just enough. No, she knew that was a lie. She could feel the tug on her heart saying she wished she were with him right now. It wasn't like they had fun together or something. Fun was not a word in Sesshomaru's vocabulary. She felt more confused than ever.

The massage ended, much too quickly it seemed and the women were ushered into a room containing tubs filled with thick brown goop. Rin and Kagome both eyed it nervously but climbed in, leaving their arms out so they could grab a newspaper or magazine to read.

"Hey, Rin! Look at this!" Kagome yelled, handing a paper to Rin, her eyes wide.

"Geez, Kagome. Chill out." Rin replied, taking the paper from her friend. But at the headline, her heart sank. The words blurred momentarily before she refocused, reading them one more time before turning to Kagome. "Do you think..?"

"Do I think the decapitated body they found in Central Park is Charlie's? Yeah.. I do." Kagome said softly. "I told you these guys get possessive. Protective really. What are you thinking?"

"That I'm really disturbed and.. I don't even know," Rin muttered. "I asked him not to do something like this.. I just wanted to forget it happened."

"Well whose to say it is or isn't that Charlie guy. Let's just forget about it, okay? This is your day to relax. Forget about all that. Especially Sesshomaru!" Kagome said in a chipper voice, trying to lighten the suddenly dark mood of her friend.

Rin nodded, closing her eyes to focus on the soft music playing in the back round. But when she heard Kagome's gasp, she cracked one eye open. Kagome was holding a magazine to her face, her eyes wide, and mouth open.

"What is it now, Kagome?"

"Nothing!" her friend cried, face turning red.

"Let me see it. It's obviously something." Rin muttered.

"Noooo. I don't think-" she started but Rin huffed and grabbed the magazine away from her hands.

Rin's jaw dropped. There on the cover was her and Sesshomaru, her hand resting on his chest, his hand on her hip, both staring into one another's eyes.

That damned photo shoot.

She shook her head in disbelief. The article about Sesshomaru had come out a month ago. What was this picture doing, and on the cover of _Pop? _This magazine rarely published anything true and made a habit of ruining people's lives with it's lies. They especially loved celebrity gossip. Rin gripped the magazine, her knuckles whitening.

Koga must have sold the pictures, after all, he had said they might come in handy.

Just as she was about to scream, a voice broke in first. "Excuse me, miss? Are you Rin Minami? The girl having an affair with her boss? Oh my Kami! I can't believe of all places you're here. Don't worry, I won't tell the press. Everyone is so eager to get an interview with the woman sleeping with Sesshomaru Taisho! Just look at the passion in his eyes and yours in that picture! I just-" but she didn't get to finish as Kagome 'accidentally' pushed her into the empty tub of mud beside her.

"Ooooooooooooo sorry honey.. I can be so clumsy!" she called as the woman sloshed about in the mud trying to get up.

Rin shook her head, clasping both hands over her face.

She let out a muffled scream.

"Son of a bitch!"


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Blown away at the nearly 100 reviews. Thank you everyone! I hope I have continued giving you what you want. Let me know what you think!**

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Two days had now passed since the publication of _Pop_ magazine's cover of Rin and Sesshomaru. The article had portrayed her as a young student, interning at T&S Financial when Sesshomaru noticed her beauty and singled her out. The piece claimed they were in love. After all, look at the fiery passion in each of their eyes, it had said.

Rin glanced over the article for the millionth time as she and Kagome drove to work, even though at this point she nearly had it memorized. "I mean who are these people they quoted exactly?" she said, to no one in particular, as if she were picking up a conversation that had never ended.

Kagome shook her head. "I told you to quit reading that shit, Rinny! They probably made those people up, as I've already said fifty times. We're almost to work and I'm sure Sesshomaru will have some insight for you."

Rin groaned. "Yeah great. Now I have to sit down and talk to him about this torrid love affair we aren't even really having. As soon as I walk into his office we'll just be confirming rumors in people's eyes. There's no winning!" she lamented, cradling her head into her hand.

Sure enough by the time Rin and Kagome reached their floor, the entire office was staring at them. People bent to whisper to their friends, some even pointed. Rin lowered her head and walked to Sesshomaru's office. The door was closed, meaning he might be in a meeting, but Rin knocked anyway, desperate to get away from the attention she garnered.

The door opened and she was pulled inside by a pale white hand. Expecting to see Sesshomaru, she was surprised by Inuyasha's face, which bore a grimace. "'Bout time ya got here," he told her.

Rin looked around to see Toga was also with them, as well as Koga, who sat awkwardly in one of the chairs across from Sesshomaru's desk looking scared. Toga smiled at her, offering his hand.

"I don't believe we've officially met, Rin. I'm Toga Taisho," he said smoothly, gripping her hand firmly yet gently. Rin nodded blankly, looking anywhere in the room but Sesshomaru. "Just so you know, my dear, the situation is being handled. Koga is being dealt with."

Rin looked to the wolf again, who sank further into the leather chair. "Well what about the magazine?" she asked, turning back to Toga.

"Well," he started, glancing to his eldest son, "what's done is done. There's no changing what's been published. Things will blow over."

"Blow over," Rin repeated, finally looking at Sesshomaru. He wore a grey suit, white shirt, and a darker grey tie. "In the mean time though, the entire country thinks I'm some slut who sleeps with my boss." she said, her voice raised.

"Rin," Sesshomaru called to her. He moved towards her, until he stood right in front of her, peering down into her chocolate eyes. "Do not let such trivial matters bother you. We will be forgotten soon. For now, focus on work," he finished, reaching a long elegant finger up to brush her cheek.

Well if they were trying to show nothing was going on, he just failed miserably, she thought. She made no move, though she really wanted to reach out to him, beg him to hold her, and give her comfort.

"We'll just leave you two alone. I see you have some.. things.. to discuss," Toga announced. Rin walked towards him and grasped his hand.

"It was nice meeting you officially, sir. Even under such odd circumstances," she said politely.

Toga laughed. "Oh my dear, I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other."

With that he and Inuyasha gathered Koga from his seat, Inuyasha roughly pushing him out the door. Rin watched them go, keeping her back turned away from Sesshomaru even once the door clicked shut.

"Rin," the demon lord said softly.

Rin took a deep breath and turned to face him. "Sesshomaru, I can't even.. this is just really.. Geez."

"Yes."

"Your father is nice," she offered. trying to clear the awkwardness.

"My father is too nice in some instances. If I had my way I would have killed Koga here and now, but father insists there is a better approach." He sat behind his desk with those words, offering Rin the chair Koga has just been in.

"Is ignoring all this really the best thing to do you think?" she asked him, leaning forward in her seat to watch for his reaction.

He shrugged slightly. "There will be newer, more interesting news regarding the Taisho family soon anyway."

"Oh really? Like what?"

Sesshomaru hesitated. "Inuyasha plans to offer marriage to your friend Kagome. Though that needs to stay between us for now, lest the surprise be ruined for the girl and Inuyasha become murderous with rage."

Rin gaped at his words, her mind racing. "When?"

"As I said, soon. Inuyasha has opted to keep the specifics to himself," he said apathetically. Rin was sure his brother proposing to his girlfriend was the least interesting thing he had heard all day.

The girl slowly got up from her chair and began jumping up and down, squealing. She started talking some sort of gibberish about gowns, catering, and venues before Sesshomaru's voice snapped her from her celebration.

"Rin. Stop that. Do not get ahead of yourself, Inuyasha still has a few courting rituals to perform before any ceremonies can take place." Sesshomaru told her, cutting her joy short.

"Courting rituals? Like what? Can't he just propose like a _normal_ person?" she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Not only is he a member of the Inuyokai clan but he is also the son of the most powerful demon in Japan. No, he cannot just propose. Certain things must be done." Sesshomaru explained, rising from his chair to walk towards her.

"Okay well what are some mating rituals?" Rin wondered, turning her head to the side to look at him as he walked up.

"The male proves his affection to the female. First he presents her with three different gifts. Each gift shall hold special meaning to his intended mate and if she finds them lacking in any way she can call off the courtship. He must show her that he alone is worthy of her affection and the strongest male. He must prove that he will be a good mate to her and provide the life she wants." Sesshomaru finished his lesson on courting rituals, looking Rin square in the eye.

"So.. basically it's like dating?" Rin pointed out.

Sesshomaru immediately huffed, shaking his head. "Yes, I suppose one could possibly draw a line of similarity between the two."

"And then what happens? They just get married?"

"Not quite. Once the proposal is accepted, the wedding ceremony will be planned. I can only assume Kagome will want a human wedding ceremony. Once they are married, Inuyasha will bed her. It should have been their first time, but as we both know, it's too late for that," he said, pausing to let Rin giggle. "But nonetheless, on their wedding night, Inuyasha will mark her by biting the base of her neck by her collar bone. Some of his own demon poison will flow into her body, mingling with her blood, connecting them until Inuyasha's death. Their life spans will be tied to one another's, one not able to go on without the other."

Rin sucked in air. This was some heavy stuff Kagome was about to get involved in. "Wow boss man, this is damn near the most I've ever heard you speak."

"You wished to be educated on the matter. Perhaps when the time comes you can help your friend to understand. I doubt Inuyasha will have explained much," he snorted, rolling his eyes at his little brother's lack of manners.

"So you don't think Inuyasha has explained any of this to Kagome? Surely the gift thing at least.." Rin trailed off, her hopes fading with Sesshomaru's muted look.

"No. My little brother is an idiot," he stated, unapologetic for his views on Inuyasha. Seeming tired of speaking on the subject he gave Rin a small smile, a rarity for him. "There is something I would like to talk to you about."

"Okay.." Rin murmured.

"In four weeks there will be a ball to commemorate our 50th year in business. As my secretary I would like you to accompany me," he hesitated briefly but continued, "you know my clients well and they all seem to like you so I believe your presence there would be helpful."

"Oh," Rin whispered sadly. "Is that the only reason?" she asked, bringing her voice up to a more audible level.

Sesshomaru seemed taken aback by her question but answered after a moment of silence. "I also enjoy your company," he finally admitted his eyes staring into hers.

Rin plopped back down into her chair, becoming tired of standing. "Okay, well I don't know how to dance and aren't balls all about dancing?"

"Yes, there tends to be a lot of dancing. I can teach you if you'd like," he offered, stepping behind his desk again.

"Really? You know how to dance?" Rin asked with disbelief in her voice.

"After 500 years I learned a few steps," came his snarky response.

Rin rolled her eyes. "I mean you can do all the fancy ones like actual ballroom dancing?"

"Yes."

"Okay then. When do we start?" she asked, deciding if anything, she could use the moves to wow at Kagome's wedding.

"Why don't you come with me when the day is done?"

"Okay!" Rin said a little too eagerly. Spending some time with the man was exactly what she needed to decide whether or not she wanted to pursue something with him. If he even was still interested in her.

But her eagerness soon faded when Sesshomaru escorted her to his car later in the day. Paparazzi swarmed over them, making Rin feel claustrophobic. Sesshomaru growled angrily at them, ushering Rin into the passenger's seat before climbing into the driver's seat of the corvette. The leeches continued snapping pictures as Sesshomaru sped away, kicking up dust in their faces.

"Well shit. We didn't think about this very much did we?" she asked him, slapping her forehead. "I mean Kami, we're just giving them more proof of the relationship we're not having."

"You can't stop living over this, Rin. We have work to do and duties to perform. You are letting this bother you far too much," he asserted.

"You've lived like this your entire life haven't you? In the spotlight I mean." she asked softly, suddenly feeling horrible for him.

"Yes. The press is incredibly annoying. But once you begin ignoring them and anything they say and do, it does become easier," he assured her, glancing at her with a shrug.

Rin smiled at him, appreciating his talkative mood. Normally the demon was incredibly silent and boring. But Rin's mind quickly changed directions when they pulled up to a immense mansion forty minutes later. The surrounding yard was perfectly manicured and landscaped with a large fountain spewing water a few feet in front of the heavy wooden doors.

Her breath taken away, she simply gawked from Sesshomaru to the house until he nodded, confirming it was indeed his own. It was at least two stories from what Rin could tell, giving off a very gothic castle vibe from it's stone walls. She squinted through the window and saw a small green creature rushing towards the car.

Rin gasped. "What the hell is that?"

Sesshomaru followed her line of vision and grimaced. "That, is Jaken."

Before she could ask another question, the demon got out and walked over to her side of the car, opening the door and holding a hand out for her to grip. Rin climbed from the car, eyes immediately resting on the green, toad-like being bowed at Sesshomaru's feet. His eyes were yellow and bulbous, popping from his head, making Rin's stomach feel sick.

"Milord! You've returned!" the creature cried. "Oh, uh who is this silly looking little girl?" he asked, peering over to Rin with interest.

Sesshomaru let his Italian leather shoe crush the creature as he stepped on him, leading Rin to the doors and walking her inside.

"Uhm, is he going to be okay? Who is Jaken? Is he a demon too?" she questioned, making Sesshomaru's ear twitch in annoyance.

"He is my servant. He only lives due to my protection over the centuries. He would surely be dead by now otherwise," came the lord's bored response. Rin cast one more look over her shoulder towards the toad, but quickly found herself distracted by her boss's posh home.

The entry way was huge, a grand staircase off to the right leading to the second floor. Most of the decor contained red, gold, and purple; colors Rin knew to mean royalty.

"Your home is so beautiful, my lord!" she called out behind her in a slightly mocking tone as she said 'my lord' , walking ahead of him to get a better look. She twirled, letting the skirt of her purple dress fan around her. "It reminds me of a Disney castle. Like in Beauty and the Beast!"

Sesshomaru visibly rolled his eyes. "I assure you at no point have I ever wished to make my home look like a Disney castle."

"Well you still managed a really good job of it," she replied snidely, flipping her hair behind her shoulder.

He continued walking, now leading her to the side of the entry way. After walking only a few steps he threw two large sliding doors open, revealing a ballroom. The floor was wooden with beautiful designs sprawled across it's tiles. The front wall of the room was completely made of glass windows, which Rin saw gave a view of the front yard and the fountain it contained.

"Holy shit," she muttered under her breath.

"Shall we begin?" Sesshomaru asked her, turning on a sound system with a click. Rin nodded dumbly, still enraptured by the beauty of the ballroom. He motioned to a small square made of tape on the ballroom floor.

Sesshomaru showed her the steps to make around the square and she mimicked him counting out loud, "One, two, three.. one, two, three."

"Good. Now follow my lead," he ordered after she practiced a few minutes, placing his hand firmly on her waist. "Put your hand on my shoulder, fingertips at the seam of my sleeve," he said, taking her other hand in his. "Now it's just as we practiced on the tape square. One, two, three, one, two, three."

Rin followed his steps, beginning slowly at first but picking up pace as Sesshomaru's steps moved faster along the floor. He twirled her out, quickly pulling her back in against his body and dipping her. Rin giggled as her head flew back, hair nearly touching the floor with the low dip.

"You are a fast learner, little human," he complimented, pulling her upwards.

"I've always been pretty good at dance. What else can you teach me?" she asked, eyes hopeful more lessons.

"There are many dances this Sesshomaru is knowledgeable about."

"Teach me all of them!" she ordered in a girlish way. She flashed Sesshomaru a grin, offering a courtesy to him.

Sesshomaru gripped her waist tightly, moving her body along the floor in the steps of the foxtrot. Rin stumbled slightly, the quick pace of the steps throwing her off. She saw the man smirk slightly and she tossed her hair behind her defiantly, never one to give up. They practiced for two hours before Sesshomaru pulled away slightly.

"It is getting late, Rin. I think it's time I return you to your home," he told her, still holding her to him.

"Just a few more minutes? Please?" she begged.

Sesshomaru gave a small nod and Rin pressed her body against his, both of them slowing down to the steady beat of the song playing. It was an extremely slow dance and somewhere towards the middle the two simply swayed in tandem, Rin resting her head against the top of his shoulder. He held her closely, resting his head against the top of her own, breathing in her scent.

As the song came to end, Rin's eyes felt heavy, her body completely relaxed against the man's. Though the music ended, the two continued their dance, holding each other tightly, before Rin pulled away, flushed red with embarrassment.

She looked down at the floor awkwardly before looking up with excitement. "Hey I have a dance I can teach you!" Rin ran to her bag, digging through it until she found her Ipod. She fumbled with the speaker's cords until she got it plugged into the system. She smashed buttons eagerly stopping once she found her song.

As the music started Sesshomaru shot her a nasty look. "What is this trash?"

"Only THE number one dance song EVER! If you don't play it at this ball I don't even want to come," she yelled with a laugh.

_Everybody clap your hands  
clap clap clap clap your hands  
clap clap clap clap your hands  
Alright, we're gonna do the basic step  
to the left_

"This does not seem-" he began, but Rin cut him off.

"Come on! Do what he says, hurry!" she ordered, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the left. Next she pulled him back, then yanked him as she hopped forwards.

_Right foot, let's stomp  
Left foot, let's stomp_

"I'm not doing this," he told her.

Rin gave an extra stomp with her foot, shooting him a glare. "Yes you will too! Please? Loosen up, boss man!"

Sesshomaru sighed, a defeated look gracing his elegant face. He stomped his left foot lightly and half-heartedly. When the voice over the speaker told them to Cha Cha, Sesshomaru gave Rin a confused look.

"Follow my moves," she told him, doing her own little version of a cha cha. The demon did as he was told, trying his best to mimic her care free hip sways and flailing arms.

He turned to the left, the cycle beginning over again. Rin clapped and laughed as she watched him pick up the moves somewhat more easily. By the third round, they were both moving quickly, following the pace of the music, his hand grasping hers as she stomped defiantly twice.

_Slide to the left_  
_Slide to the right_  
_Criss-Cross_  
_Criss-Cross_  
_Cha Cha real smooth_

They continued on, following the voices orders.

"Did he just say keep funking it?" Sesshomaru asked, never missing a beat, his silver hair swishing behind him.

Rin giggled uncontrollably. "Yes! Funk it, Sesshomaru!"

He gave a small laugh, carrying on, still grasping Rin's fragile hand. When the DJ ordered them to go as low as they could he let her hand fall, simply standing back, watching her shake her butt to the floor. She swayed, moving her body back up, slowing down as she noticed his watchful eyes on her.

Before Rin knew what hit her, Sesshomaru had pushed her back against the wall, pulling one of her legs up around his waist, nuzzling her neck. She gasped, gripping his shoulders tightly, trying to push him away gently, unsure of his motives.

As quickly as he grabbed her up, he let her leg drop, stepping away. He said nothing, simply walking to the speakers and shutting them off.

"We can continue this another time, Rin."

Rin blushed. "How about tomorrow? I'm sure there's more dances we can teach one another."

Sesshomaru paused, staring into her eyes before finally giving her a nod.

"I'm sure there are," he replied with a smirk.

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**Song is Cha Cha Slide of course for anyone who wants to check it out.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Still being blown away by the sweet reviews and the amount of follows I have. Thanks guys! You really make my day when you leave reviews and stuff. And I'm glad you appreciate the short wait time for chapters. I'm always going to try and have a new one posted within 2-4 days. So far this story is just kind of flowing out of me with ease when I sit down to write so hopefully it continues to be that way.**

**Enjoy!**

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Rin eagerly awaited the next dance lesson. Truthfully she could dance pretty well but learning traditional ballroom dance was something she had always been interested in doing. Not to mention Sesshomaru seemed to be enjoying their time together. They had agreed to wait until Saturday afternoon to continue.

Friday passed quickly with Rin throwing herself into her work and avoiding contact with the demon. By doing so, she seemed to slow some of the rumors down, though a copy of _Pop_ had been left on her desk as a joke. She had sighed and had thrown it into her trashcan with a loud crash. Everyone turned to look at her but immediately returned to work under her fiery glare.

But by Saturday morning Rin stared at herself in the mirror, butterflies swirling around her stomach and up her throat. She pulled on a sports bra and a pink tank top pairing it with some plain black yoga crops. Placing her hair into a high pony tail, she applied light mascara and eye liner before applying light pink lip stick.

"Is he picking you up?" Kagome asked, popping through Rin's door.

"Yup. Sure is. What are you and Inuyasha doing today?"

"No clue. He said something about needing to have a long talk. Pretty unusual for him," Kagome explained with a small shrug.

Rin tried her best to keep her eyes from going wide. She had a pretty good guess of what their talk might be about but of course she couldn't ruin the surprise for Kagome. "Well," she said shakily,"if anything happens or you need anything let me know. My phone will be on."

Her best friend eyed her but nodded, watching Rin put the finishing touches on her make-up. A horn honking startled the girls a few minutes later, both jumping and running to glance out a window.

"Damn he is such an insufferable idiot. So rude!" Kagome cried, opening the door with the intention of slamming it closed on her way out. But instead she bumped into a tall silver haired figure standing just outside the door.

"Oh crap! Sorry Sesshomaru. I didn't know you were there," she apologized with panic.

"Perhaps if my little brother were not so barbarous you would not be in such a rush. I assure you, the blame rests squarely on his shoulders," the demon replied smoothly, stepping out of her way to let her pass.

"Yeah he can really be a jerk!" she called back over her shoulder, jogging down the stairs to Inuyasha's waiting car.

Sesshomaru turned back to Rin with a shake of his head, making her laugh. "You know, I think tonight might be the night that he proposes."

"Why?" her companion asked, walking her to his car, truly interested.

"Apparently he said they need to have a long talk. That has to be what it is, right?"

As he opened the car door for her Sesshomaru gave a snort. "Inuyasha is truly a fool. Your guess is as good as mine."

Rin rolled her eyes, not caring if he saw. "I guess you won't be his best man or anything."

"Doubtful," came his reply. He started the car and remained silent, letting Rin turn the radio up.

As she sang to the music on the radio she used her peripheral vision and saw him watching her. "Sing with me!" she demanded, nudging his shoulder.

"I do not sing."

"But you dance?"

"Not if you continue to be obnoxious," he bit out, half joking. Rin huffed, crossing her arms and settling back into her seat.

When they pulled up to his mansion Rin let herself out of the car and ran up the the fountain in front, sticking her hand into the falling water. She sat on the edge, taking her shoes off before turning and sticking her feet into it. The water was mildly cool and Rin felt the urge to jump into the water completely, but remained seated, staring off into the distance.

"What are you doing?" Sesshomaru asked with a frown.

"I just realized it's almost the end of summer and I've barely been swimming at all," she lamented. "Just thought my body should get some sort of water action." She glanced at him just in time to see him watching her with some sort of look in his eyes. Rin couldn't be sure what it was exactly, but his expression became softened as he walked over to her.

"You are a very odd girl, little human," he told her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Would you like to go swimming?"

"Ha yeah I would but I have no bathing suit and no pool."

"I have a pool. Would you like to see it?" he asked her, holding out his hand. She eagerly nodded and let him pull her from the fountain. She picked up her shoes and trailed behind him into the house.

Upon entering, Sesshomaru led her straight into the heart of his home and towards the back, before opening the back double doors and revealing a beautiful patio. A few feet away was the largest pool Rin had ever seen. The water at the deep end went at least fifteen feet down, with the shallow end beginning at four feet, at least according to the markings along the pool's walls.

Rin squealed, stepping near the edge, but withdrawing just as quickly when she realized she still had nothing to swim in. Sesshomaru noticed her sudden downcast features and looked at her with concern.

"Oh, it's just.. I still have nothing to swim in. So this is awesome but I can't really use it or anything," she said with a sigh.

Sesshomaru simply nodded and remained silent.

Suddenly an idea struck Rin and before she had time to talk herself out of it she jumped into the deepest end of the pool, letting the cool water wash over her as she sank deeper and deeper. Finally running out of air she propelled herself back to the surface. As she gasped for air and wiped water from her eyes she saw Sesshomaru staring at her.

"What?" she asked him.

"You are one of the craziest women I have ever come in contact with," he told her, shaking his head.

Rin eyed his grey slacks and light blue shirt with interest, noticing his rolled sleeves and unbuttoned collar. "Well help me out then," she ordered, but with a sweet, playful tone. She pulled herself to the edge and waited for him.

Without hesitation Sesshomaru held his hand out to her. Rin gripped it tightly and immediately yanked on it, catching the demon off guard and pulling him into the water with her.

Sesshomaru came up from the depths of the water with a cold expression, staring Rin down. She giggled and held her arms out innocently, pretending to be confused. He splashed water at her face and began swimming towards her.

Rin gasped, seeing his determined expression, and kicked hard, trying to get away with him. But the demon quickly caught up to her, grabbing her ankle and easily yanking her backwards. A scream was drowned out as Rin went under the water slightly, still attempting to escape the man. Instead she soon found herself in a tight grip, caught in his arms with her back against his chest.

"Let me go!" she shouted, trying to sound mad, but a giggle escaped.

"No."

"At least let me take my shirt and pants off so these heavy, wet clothes aren't bogging me down in the water," she pleaded, resting her head against his shoulder, trying to look up into his eyes. Sesshomaru sighed but let her go.

Rin struggled trying to pull her tight yoga pants off. After finally freeing herself of them she tugged on her tank top, throwing both articles of clothing onto the side of the pool. For a brief moment she caught Sesshomaru staring at her pink panties and her grey sports bra. Normally Rin wouldn't just strip down but her underwear covered more than her bikini normally would so she didn't see the problem.

He quickly raised his eyes to hers. She offered him a smile before splashing at him. "Come and get me then boss man." But she made it only a few feet forward towards the shallow end before she realized he had yet to grab her. She swiveled back around and saw a very shirtless, very seductive looking demon lord staring her down as if she were prey. He launched at her, making it by her side before she even had time to think.

"I win," he stated apathetically, his bored expression back on his face.

"Yeah, I guess so," Rin mumbled, feeling a heat gathering in the pit of her stomach, and even deeper below it, in between her toned legs.

She blushed, knowing Sesshomaru would easily sense her arousal at his half naked form. He stepped closer to her, bringing his face down to hers while placing his hand on her waist.

For a moment Rin wondered if she should stop him from what he was about to do. The thought of truly becoming entangled romantically with her boss slightly sickened her, only because in her mind she felt it would surely fail in the end. But as she saw Sesshomaru's face lowering farther and farther she chose instead to press her body firmly against his and angle her face, awaiting his lips.

After a second more of waiting pure bliss came over her body. His lips were soft and warm, moving gently against hers. Rin briefly felt like she couldn't breathe, the shear marvel of how sweet his lips tasted completely over taking her senses. Feeling bold, Rin trailed the tip of her tongue over Sesshomaru's bottom lip. He seemed pleased and pushed his own tongue against hers.

Rin suddenly felt desperate for more. More of him. More of his touch. More of his taste. She pressed against him harder, surprised to feel a hardness against her thigh when she did. A pleased feeling washed over her knowing she had turned him in so much and she let out a soft moan against his lips. Almost immediately Sesshomaru had jerked her body up, forcing her legs around his waist, his hands settling around her ass.

As if on instinct, Rin bucked her hip's forward against his erection, immediately garnering a burst of pleasure when it hit her in just the right spot. She saw stars for a moment and wondered what it would be like to truly have him in her and how many stars she would see then. She groaned his name out lowly, hoping to show her suffering. In response, Sesshomru grabbed a handful of her hair and tugged her neck to the side, trailing kisses down her jawline to her neck, eventually coming to her collarbone. He nipped at it softly, shocking her and causing another groan to escape her throat.

He nuzzled her neck and she felt him breathing in her scent when he abruptly stopped, pulling his face away to look at her.

"What?" she asked, baffled by his actions.

"You are bleeding."

"What?! Where? Oh my Kami, did you bite me that hard? What the-" she cried, hand flying to where he nipped her. She knew he had sharp demon fangs but it surely they couldn't draw blood unless he bit harder, right?

"I did not cause it. You are not wounded," he said, trying to calm her.

Rin's eyes darted to his face and they stared at one another for a moment before a realization hit Rin. She wasn't injured or hurt. But damn she wished she was right now. A flood of red embarrassment rolled over her face and she quickly pushed herself off Sesshomaru, hitting the water. She ran best she could through the water and up the steps of the shallow end.

Sure enough there was a light red stain on her panties. Rin felt the urge to smash her head against the concrete floor surrounding the pool until she died but knew that wasn't a real option.

Tears pricked at her eyes and her vision blurred slightly. "I'm so sorry, Sesshomaru. I totally forgot it was almost that time and I don't.. have anything. I don't know what to do. I think I better go home," she rushed out, letting one of her hands cover her face.

Sesshomaru immediately got out of the pool and was at her side with a towel. "Here. Just stay here a moment," he ordered.

Rin took the towel, which was black at least thank Kami, and wrapped it around her body. When Sessomaru returned he motioned for her to follow him. Rin complied, praying blood wasn't trickling down her leg or something. This could only happen to her. She's right in the middle of getting hot and heavy with an extremely sexy man and her own body betrays her.

When they stopped Sesshomaru opened a door and ushered Rin inside. As far as she could tell it was some sort of guest room. But it was gigantic, with a four poster bed, and a door leading to a huge bathroom.

"Take a shower and relax. In a few moments everything you need will be on the bed," he explained, promptly walking out, leaving Rin staring at him in bewilderment.

She ventured into the bathroom and found that it had everything one would need to bathe. Fancy soaps and shampoos lay in a basket in front of red towels and washcloths. Rin did as Sesshomaru told her and when she walked into the bedroom a few minutes later she gasped in shock.

On the bed lay a box of tampons and pads, her favorite brand, a new pair of panties, a new bra, and a cute little pink sundress. A million thoughts rushed into her mind at once. How did he know her favorite brand of feminine products? Or her panty and bra size? The man must pay more attention to details than she realized. But soon another flare of hot red embarrassment hit her face. He had bought her tampons and pads. And underwear. Things that she had never even asked Kohaku to do for her after they had dated for a year.

Rin quickly dressed, feeling relieved. She stepped into the hallway and looked around nervously. She looked to either side of the door trying to remember which way they had come from. Shrugging she decided to go to the right. But after a few minutes she realized she must have gone the wrong way. Beginning to get a little scared she'd never find her way out of the house's maze, she was over the moon when she saw Sesshomaru at the end of the hallway.

She ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Holy shit I thought I would never make it out of here alive!"

"Was my home trying to kill you?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Well basically. It's so easy to get lost," she complained, letting go of him, stepping back and looking up to his face.

"Come," he ordered, and Rin obliged falling into step next to him.

"Did you really go buy me all that stuff? I can't imagine someone like you standing at a register with tampons," she laughed.

Sesshomaru remained silent for a moment. "No. I did not purchase those things for you."

"Oh?" Rin said, her interest piqued. "Well then, who did?"

"Jaken."

"You mean.. you sent that little toad thing to the store to buy my tampons?" she asked incredulously, wrinkling her nose.

"And your clothes, yes. I simply told him what to buy and he did it. He is my servant after all," he replied.

"It was really sweet of you. I'm so embarrassed by this. I'm so sorry," she said softly.

"Do not apologize, Rin, or be upset. I am well aware of what a female's body must do. It is not your fault," he comforted, but quickly continued on, as if ready for the subject to be closed. "I would like to show you something."

"Alright," Rin said, suspicious right away. At this point she wouldn't put anything past the demon.

They walked down a flight of stairs and Rin looked around in amazement. A wine cellar came into view and it looked as though Sesshomaru had hundreds of wines at his disposal. The passed by the room and Sesshomaru opened the door next to it. Inside was a gigantic screen with three rows of deep red, plush chairs.

"Holy shit! Is this a movie theater in your basement?" Rin yelled out, eyes growing wide.

"The property came with it. I have never used it but I thought you might enjoy it."

Rin's smile widened. "What movies do you have?"

"What would you like me to have?" he inquired playfully.

"The Notebook."

Sesshomaru immediately scoffed but nodded. He walked to the back of the room and after a few seconds the credits for her favorite movie popped onto the screen. Rin clapped happily, settling into the chair in the very center. Sesshomaru came and sat next to her, looking down into her eyes.

Rin felt a rush of happiness go through her and she rested her head on his shoulder as the old man rowed his boat over the lake and the story of Noah and Allie began.

Maybe things between she and her boss could work out after all.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I hope my story isn't getting boring! If it is, let me know what I can do to spice it up! As always, thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming. They push me to keep writing!**

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When the movie ended Rin looked over to Sesshomaru and saw he had his eyes closed.

"I know it's sad and all but I didn't think it would affect you this much," she teased, wiping her own tears away with a sniffle.

"The public is foolish to enjoy such drivel," he muttered.

"You are such a killjoy," Rin complained, rolling her eyes. "But fine, what type of stuff do you like to do exactly?"

Sesshomaru gave her a look and seemed to mull her question over. The silence stretched on and Rin gave an exasperated sigh. What would he like doing really? Rin never saw him do much besides work. The times they had been together alone they were doing things she enjoyed or he was buying stuff for her.

"I like to hunt," he finally said.

"What? Really? Like with a gun and camo and orange vests?"

"Rin, though I take human form I am really a beast. I hunt for food and rather enjoy it, though it is a rare occasion I am able to do such a thing," he said with regret. He put a slender, but strong hand through his hair, waiting for Rin's reaction.

The girl sat in thought. Yes, she knew he most likely had some sort of dog form he would take, but she had never thought much about it. "I want to see."

"I do not think that is wise, girl," he shot back immediately, his eyes boring into hers.

Rin cocked her head, aware of the tension that had suddenly filled the room. "What's the big deal? You basically bought me feminine products and underwear because I started my period right before we were about to.." she trailed off, not exactly sure what they had been about to do. "Well whatever it was we were going to do. I think it's only fair you share something equally embarrassing or awful with me."

The demon's face fell and he shook his head. "My true form is not embarrassing. I believe it will frighten you."

"Ha! Try me! Maybe you're the one who is frightened," she bit out, becoming annoyed.

Sesshomaru stared her down, making it obvious he was becoming just as annoyed with her. But finally, after she made sure to give him doe eyes, he surrendered. "Fine. Follow me."

Rin gave him a devious smile, pleased he gave in to her. He led her back upstairs and out onto the patio by the pool. When he continued passed it, Rin looked farther into the distance and saw they were heading towards a large forest. Once they were at the tree line Sesshomaru turned to her, silently asking if she was sure about it. Rin smiled at him and he turned, continuing to lead her through the forest until they came to a big clearing.

"Stand back," Sesshomaru ordered. Rin obliged, moving to stand next to a tree, out of his way.

His eyes turned slightly pink, and he snarled. Rin watched as his eyes turned more and more red, until finally coming into a shade of crimson blood, while the stripes on his cheeks became jagged. His body began to morph and his face elongated. Rin felt her palms become slick with sweat and she pressed her back into the tree as a fear came over her. As quickly as it began, his transformation ended.

Now in front of Rin stood a behemoth dog in Sesshomaru's place. The creature carried the man's blue crescent moon on it's forehead and the same stripes along it's cheeks as his. It had an extremely muscular form and Rin got the distinct feeling that one snap of it's mighty jaw's could have her body in half within a minute. The dog's fur was the same silver as Sesshomaru's silky hair and it had two long, furry ears.

Rin ventured forward after taking in the sight of the animal. "Sesshomaru? Is it really.. you?" she called out, her steps faltering slightly.

The creature lowered it's snout in some sort of nod. Rin came closer and reached her hand out to touch his nose. Her hand slid down to his neck, petting the thick, soft fur. "You look so amazing. And powerful."

Sesshomaru seemed pleased at her concession. Though he said nothing, Rin could tell he was already bored with their exchange. She leaned in closely to his face, attempting to hug his giant neck. "Thank you for showing me," she whispered.

She stepped away and watched closely as the giant dog slowly reverted back into Sesshomaru's tall, lean, and muscular figure. She stared in awe as she noticed his clothes were still perfectly in place. The black pants and red shirt he had changed into had no rips or tears at all. Rin felt that Sesshomaru had shared a most intimate part of himself with her and a pride rose through her at his willingness to do so.

He walked over to her casually, as if transforming into a dog and back to a human were the most natural thing on the planet. "Are you pleased now, Rin?" he inquired in his usual apathetic tone.

"Yes," she responded softly, taking his arm. She leaned her head against him as they walked arm in arm back to his house.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"Oh I would love to so much but I have a dinner date with Kagome tonight. So she can tell me all about her and Inuyasha. I guess he didn't propose or we would have heard about it by now," she said with a sigh, slightly disappointed.

"I will take you home," he offered, leading her outside to his waiting car. She was surprised to find her belongings already inside, and gave a small smile at how good the man was. He somehow already knew her so well.

When they arrived back to Rin's apartment she felt disappointed. She hated to leave him but couldn't wait to tell her best friend all about her day with him, and her decision to take a chance on their romance.

"Well I guess I'll see you Monday," she told him, watching his face for a reaction.

He simply nodded, getting out of the driver's seat to come help her out of the car. He carried her things for her up the stairs and to her door. They faced each other, neither speaking.

Finally Rin spoke up. "Thanks for everything today, Sesshomaru. I had.. fun.. with you. A lot."

"I enjoyed our day together as well," he said, running his finger down her cheek. He leaned in and gave her a small, chaste kiss on her lips, making her blush slightly.

Rin sucked in air and opened the door to her apartment. giving him a wave and taking her things from him. She shut the door and leaned against it, feeling faint. His kisses managed to do that to her somehow. She felt as if her whole world was turned upside down. The girl tried to shake the feeling off as she looked up to see Kagome laying on the couch, looking upset.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" Rin asked her, sitting on the edge of the couch.

"Inuyasha is stupid," she replied bitterly.

"What? What happened?"

"He takes me out and we start talking and he brings up how he wants to make me his mate. Of course I'm excited. But then he starts talking about all these steps we have to take and when I seemed nervous and unsure he got mad. And we argued. I'm not even sure what it was about exactly. But we got louder and louder and eventually everyone in the restaurant was watching us," Kagome rushed out, cradling her head in her hands.

"Kami! That sounds awful! I'm sure he was just being overly sensitive to your reaction," Rin said, trying to comfort her friend, but already feeling like she was failing miserably.

"I didn't mean to hesitate. I was thrilled. But then he goes on about these gifts.. which he apparently gave me already.. and marking.. and I don't know. It just made me a little nervous and made me realize what different cultures we come from," Kagome explained, her hands waving around in a huff.

"He gave you the courting gifts but didn't tell you what they were?" Rin asked, her brows shooting up in surprise. Then again it did seem like something Inuyasha would do.

"Yeah. Doesn't make much sense does it? And why do you sound like you know more about this than I do?" Kagome wondered suspiciously.

Rin blushed under Kagome's intense stare and sputtered out,"I may have discussed it with Sesshomaru the other day. Only because he let it slip Inuyasha would be asking you to mate with him and get married soon." Kagome's expression darkened and Rin quickly continued,"I'm sorry I never told you! I just didn't want to ruin the surprise."

Kagome sighed and gave Rin a small smile. "I'm glad you didn't ruin the surprise of it. Too bad Inuyasha did though. I'm sure it will all be fine. What have you and the ice king been up to today?"

Rin looked down, slightly embarrassed. As she plunged into the day's events Kagome let out numerous squeals and shocked faces.

"So are you going to go for it then?" she finally asked once Rin was done.

"Yeah I guess so. But at work we need to keep it under wraps. With that article coming out and everything the last thing we need is any sort of confirmation we actually did start dating. If that's what we're doing anyway," Rin said with a shrug.

"Oh that sounds exactly like what you're doing," Kagome gushed, hugging Rin's shoulder's tightly. "Plus he showed you his true form. That takes a lot of trust!"

Rin gave a nod, knowing that was true. She and Kagome decided to put their dog demons off their minds for awhile and put in a movie. They ordered take out from their favorite place and headed to bed early, both exhausted from their busy afternoons.

Sunday passed quickly, Rin filling her time with cleaning in order to make it to the end of the day. On Monday she awoke eagerly. She couldn't wait to see Sesshomaru. She walked to the closet, searching for something cute, but sexy. After a moment she found the perfect dress. It was all purple. The top was sleeveless and ruched down to the waist in a medium lavender with a slightly loose royal purple skirt. A very light, almost pink sash sat in the middle that paired well with her pumps of the same color.

Rin threw on some chunky purple bracelets and finished her make up. She let her hair down and it had a slight natural curl that enhanced her beauty even more.

By the time she and Kagome made it to the elevator and climbed to the 20th floor, Rin had a serious case of butterflies. She wanted desperately to play it cool so no one would catch on that she and her boss really might be having a fling. As she walked of the elevator a few people waved or nodded at both her and Kagome, but otherwise things seemed to have calmed down since the release of _Pop._

She immediately noticed Sesshomaru's door was closed and frowned. She knocked lightly but when she got no response she tentatively opened the door. Rin held back a gasp at what she saw. That Kagura woman was sitting in Sesshomaru's lap, playing with a long strand of his silver hair, whispering into his ear. His face held it's usual stoic expression so Rin couldn't tell if he was enjoying her actions, or detesting them.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Taisho!" Rin yelled immediately, her face turning red. She turned and shut the door with a slam without fully meaning to do it. But an anger was rising in her that she couldn't ignore. She earned a few curious glances from co-workers who quickly shrugged her actions off when she sat down at her desk.

So one day he was kissing her neck and hard for her and the next he was allowing another woman to be all over him? Rin could feel the rage continuing to boil up but she swallowed it back down trying to control her emotions. Suddenly Sesshomaru's office door opened and Kagura stepped out. She looked towards Rin, coming towards her and bending over the desk.

"Better knock louder next time honey. I don't care what those magazines say about the two of you; he's MINE," Kagura growled, malice pouring from her eyes.

"Absolutely," Rin murmured. For all she knew, apparently he really was Kagura's.

Kagura gave her another malicious stare and then stomped off, hissing at anyone who dared to get near her. Rin looked to Sesshomaru's door and saw it was still closed. She had the urge to go inside and ask him what the hell was going on but she refrained, not wanting to look suspicious.

An hour passed.

Two hours passed.

Rin fidgeted, trying to focus on the documents she was typing up, when her phone rang. She picked up the office phone with a bored, "Hello, Sesshomaru Taisho's office, how can I help you today?"

"Come in here, Rin." Sesshomaru's voice ordered on the other end. She hung the phone up, not bothering to give a response, and stood up. She opened the door slowly, peeking in to be sure no other surprises awaited her. Sesshomaru sat behind his desk, a slightly annoyed expression on his face.

"Yes sir?" Rin asked, closing the door softly behind her.

"Just say it, Rin."

Rin sucked air in, trying to gather her courage. "Okay then.. I'll say it. What the hell? What is the real deal between you and that awful woman? After Saturday I thought," she trailed off, her anger fading, not sure if she should tell him just what she thought. Maybe none of that meant anything to him at all and she had been wrong.

"I know what you thought," he began, standing from his chair and standing before her. "I wanted you to think it," he purred, sliding the back of his hand across her cheek. "I have informed Kagura she will need to stop all her outrageous actions towards me as I have a new.. interest."

Rin's eyes lit up at his words and she smiled. "Really?"

"Yes, I do. That is, if she will have me," he pointed out, looking down into her eyes.

"She will," Rin said softly, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head on his shoulder.

She heard Sesshomaru make a growl of approval and he kissed the back of her exposed neck. Rin inhaled sharply, caught off guard by the kiss. Sesshomaru seemed to like her reaction an he nipped at her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.

Rin jerked her head back, giving him a seductive look before pushing her lips hard against his. She had never felt so turned on and she could already feel herself being pushed over the edge. She wanted more of him.

She slipped herself up onto his desk, hiking her dress up and sitting on the edge spreading her legs. Sesshomaru immediately moved between them, wrapping her dark hair around his hand as he slipped it behind her neck. She held into him tightly. Nothing could happen for another week and they both knew it considering what happened on Saturday in the pool.

But Rin didn't see the harm in a teaser. She moaned his name softly, rolling it off her tongue as he nibbled on her ear. His free hand moved up to cup one breast and Rin flinched under his touch, not used to such intimacy any longer. But soon she was used to the sensation and whispered hoarsely, "Harder."

This seemed to please Sesshomaru as he gripped her breast more tightly, biting her roughly on her collar bone. Rin yelped as a pain mixed with pleasure shot through her. She moved one of her hands down his chest and towards his belt line, fully intending to rub his hard member through his black pants but before she could, a knock came at the door.

Rin's heart beat doubled as Sesshomaru jerked away from her, obviously having missed the intruder's scent. Rin hopped off his desk and attempted to straighten her dress and hair.

"Come in," Sesshomaru called, taking a seat behind his desk, the mask of deadly calm he usually wore returning to his face.

Rin stood to the side in front of his desk, hoping to make it look like they had simply been going over some business. Relief flooded her when Inuyasha stepped through the door and shut it roughly behind him.

"Sorry to interrupt your little make-out session," he bit out, rolling his eyes. Rin opened her mouth to deny it but a look from Sesshomaru shut her up.

"Can I help you, little brother?"

"Feh like I'd ever need your help, bastard," Inuyasha said, turning his nose up and crossing his arms. "I came to ask Rin something."

Rin exchanged a worried look with Sesshomaru before sweetly asking,"What is it, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha looked down abashedly. "Is Kagome still mad? What do I gotta do to fix this with her?" His eyes were sad and he sounded beyond distressed.

Rin sighed. Kami, this guy really could be a thick headed fool sometimes. "Apologize. That's it."

The half demon stared at her with disbelief, his mouth hanging slightly open. "That's it?" he repeated.

"Yes."

"Really, Inuyasha, you are so ignorant," Sesshomaru cut in.

Inuyasha flushed red, becoming angry with his older brother. "Feh, oh yeah? Just wait until you two have your first fight! You'll see!" he yelled, turning and stalking away, opening and closing the door with a slam.

Rin and Sesshomaru turned to each other, Rin letting out laughter, and Sesshomaru giving a small smile.

"I see the no apologies thing runs in the family," she snorted out, moving to sit in his lap.

Sesshomaru remained silent and simply draped his arms around her possessively.

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**Here is a pinterest board of outfits that inspired Rin's. Just for a visual.**

**www . pinterest jromanov / rins -closet /**

**I cannot figure out what the deal is with links on here! So annoying! Add the . com and a slash between com and jromanov. Hope someone can get it to work.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Shorter update than normal but it seemed a good place for an ending to the chapter. I also wanted to publish this in time for a special reviewer's birthday.**  
**Happy birthday reviewer love!**  
**Mine is tomorrow actually so we can be birthday buddies.**  
**Also, thoughts on a chapter dedicated to Sesshomaru's POV? I've kept it to just Rin and thought it would be weird to switch randomly. Let me know if yall want it or not. If enough do, then I will write one up at some point.**  
**Enjoy.**

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The next few weeks flew by for Rin. She continued working hard as Sesshomaru's secretary and working even harder to please him and keep his affections. Sesshomaru managed to keep their intimacy simple. They had yet to see each other completely naked, a fact which relieved yet aggravated Rin all at the same time.

When he pulled back, Rin would remain silent, knowing he must have his reasons. She could tell he was turned on by her, both intellectually and by her body, so she tried her best not to let it bother her.

The company's ball was this coming weekend and Rin was thrilled. Today Sesshomaru had promised to take her dress shopping at one of the finest dress shops in the city. Rin watched the clock on the wall tick eagerly, the day nearly over. She caught Kagome out of the corner of her eye and waved to her. Kagome immediately walked over, carrying a stack of papers in her hand.

"Hey, what's up?" Kagome asked.

"Just wanted to remind you I'm going dress shopping today!"

"Oh yeah. I might have forgotten, if you hadn't been talking about it non stop ALL week," Kagome snorted out with a friendly laugh.

Rin blushed, "I guess I have been a little excited."

"I don't blame you. Inuyasha bought me a dress last week. He said it was my final courting gift," she explained, smiling widely.

"I'm glad he got over you making him start the courting thing over again. When I told him all he had to do was apologize, I think he honestly thought it would be that simple," Rin said with a laugh, glancing towards Inuyasha's closed office door.

"Well it would have been. But I think I deserved the chance to enjoy the process and actually know it was happening. Stupid dog boy," Kagome said with an exasperated tone. She flipped her hair behind her shoulder with a sigh.

"Yeah. Stupid. Speaking of dog boys," Rin whispered lowly, watching Sesshomaru shake hands with his last meeting of the day. "Do you think Sesshomaru and I will court?"

Kagome peeked over at the demon and shrugged. "I figured you already were."

"He hasn't given me a courting gift or anything so I don't think so," she said morosely.

"If I've learned anything about Taisho men it's that they are incredibly slow. So just give him some time," Kagome said sweetly, patting Rin's back affectionately.

Rin nodded and looked back to Sesshomaru. She blinked in surprise when she realized he was watching her intently. Blushing, she prayed he hadn't overheard her conversation, and quickly turned back to her computer after giving him a small smile. He had simply continued watching her and gone back into his office. A relieved breath rushed out of Rin and she started getting her things together to leave.

Over the past few weeks Rin and Sesshomaru had developed a routine if they wanted to see each other after work. Not wanting to arouse anyone's suspicions they had formulated a plan. Rin would leave before Sesshomaru, riding the elevator down to the parking deck. After looking over her shoulder many times, she would unlock the door to this corvette with the key he gave her and slide in. After a few moments Sesshomaru would arrive and they would leave together.

So far no one had witnessed her get in his car. The parking deck he used was usually empty because it was the farthest from the lobby. Rin stepped into the elevator with a wave goodbye to her fellow colleagues. She had come to be respected, being the only secretary Sesshomaru had ever had to actually stay. They all knew she had tempered him and were grateful she had.

The corvette sat in it's usual spot and Rin slid into the passenger's seat, tucking the key back into her purse. By the time Sesshomaru had arrived Rin felt jittery and eager to go dress shopping.

"Where are we going?" she asked him, a light in her eyes.

"It will take us some time to get there. I've picked a shop farther from the city where I am less likely to be recognized. I believe this store carries dresses that will be to our liking," he explained, zooming out of the parking deck and onto the road.

"_Our_ liking?"

"Yes, I expect you to model each dress for me," he said with a devious look in his golden eyes. "I must be certain my date is dressed to impress."

"Speaking of which," she started, playing with her fingers nervously. "Won't everyone see we're an item if we attend this ball together?"

"Possibly. Either we can simply mingle with my clients, I as your boss, you as my secretary they all like, or we can walk through the room arm in arm and dance," he pointed out. "They will draw their own conclusions from our actions."

"Well to be honest, I do want to dance. I do want to be arm in arm. I want everyone to know.." she fell short, becoming frightened to finish.

"Know what?" Sesshomaru grilled, intense interest aflame in his eyes.

"Know that.. we're.. together.. officially.. that is.. if we, ya know, are."

"If you feel you are ready, Rin, then we can make everyone aware if our current relationship," Sesshomaru said with a small smile. "It will not change anything between us, professionally or otherwise."

"I think it will make everyone mad," Rin stated gloomily. "They'll be thinking I'm sleeping with my boss and that's the only reason I have the job I do."

"Do not let those insignificant fools' opinions bother you. My opinion of you is the only one that matters," he told her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

Rin smiled a grateful smile, leaning her head back onto the headrest of her seat. Who knew Sesshomaru did have a heart after all? He had truly opened up to her and she found herself falling for him more and more every day. They had been continuing their dancing lessons and Rin felt the soft dances and slow moves had brought a special kind of intimacy to their relationship.

They continued driving in a peaceful silence listening to the music blaring on the radio, until finally, Sesshomaru pulled into the parking lot of a small boutique. Rin's eyes lit up. It was exactly the type of shop she loved buying clothes from; small and unique.

When they walked inside a short, dainty, older woman immediately made her way to them.

"Welcome friends," she cried, waving merrily. "What can I help you with today?"

Sesshomaru remained silent so Rin stepped up, offering a friendly smile to the woman. "I need a very formal dress. Something elegant and regal."

"Well my name is Kimiko, feel free to browse while I pull some dresses I think you might like. Any color preference, dear?" the woman wondered as an after thought. When Rin shook her head no the woman flitted off, disappearing into the racks of dresses.

Rin rifled through a rack with shorter dresses on it. She picked up the price tag on the dress in front of her and her eyes nearly popped from her head. Two thousand dollars for one dress. She spun around to Sesshomaru, mouth hanging slightly ajar.

"Two grand for this little dress.." she pointed out.

"Price does not matter, Rin. You should know that by now," he said in a bored voice, obviously over her usual objections.

Knowing she was defeated she nodded. Kimiko returned shortly after carrying a pile of satin dresses in an assortment of colors. Rin followed her to the dressing room at the back of the store. It was carpeted, with large, plush chairs in front of the door for onlookers. Sesshomaru quietly took a seat, leaning back in a relaxed form, clearly ready for Rin to put on a fashion show.

She giggled at the sight of him and followed the woman behind the heavy door of the dressing room. Rin counted ten dresses the woman was hanging up along the walls. She sighed, noticing some of them looked hard to get into.

"Let me know if you need any help with them, dear."

"Sure thing. Thanks for everything," Rin said softly, feeling awkward talking loudly in such a small room. She watched the woman go and closed the door behind her, turning to look over each dress. There was a long, light pink spaghetti strapped dress with a flowing sheer skirt that Rin immediately loved. An emerald green vintage design caught her attention as well. She decided to try the dresses she liked least on first, to get them out of the way.

Apparently she and Sesshomaru shared the same general taste as he agreed with her decision that the dresses weren't particular great. The gold one she donned first was too tight and low, making her look like a classy hooker, instead of an elegant lady. After three more dresses they were finally getting to the ones she liked more.

She slipped the long silver dress on, zipping it and adjusting her breasts in the sweet heart bodice until they looked just right. Rin loved the swish of the skirt as she stepped from the dressing room and into Sesshomaru's line of sight. His eyes swept over her and he nodded in approval.

"What do you think?" she asked tentatively, watching his face closely.

"Pretty. Flattering. But silver is not your color," he responded, having no problem with being honest. Rin shrugged, half agreeing with his assessment.

The next gown she pulled down took her breath away. It was a beautiful sapphire blue, the neck line hovering over the tops of her breasts just enough to be feminine, but not enough to look slutty. Thick straps hung loosely around her shoulders, falling to the side, hugging her upper arms. The skirt pooled at her feet, the satin material feeling soft as it caressed her skin. Her waist was tightly hugged, as well as her hips, before it flared out mind thigh.

When she stepped out, she saw Sesshomaru's eyes light on fire with lust. She had seen that look many times now but she still blushed knowing he wanted her. He slowly stood up, walking to her, his eyes traveling down the length of her body and back up to her face. Their eyes met and she gave him a small, seductive smile.

This one then?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes."

She smiled and returned to the dressing room. Just as she reached for the zipper the door opened and Sesshomaru was standing beside her before she could object.

"This Sesshomaru thought you might require assistance," he said lowly, standing behind her small frame, placing his hands on her hips. Rin remained silent, neither objecting or consenting, interested in what he might do.

He slowly slipped the zipper down her back until it reached the top of her butt. He slid the sleeves from her arms, letting the front of the dress fall limply. Rin tried to turn around in order to give him a better view of her lacy black bra but he nudged her back into place, running his nose down her neck to her back. The girl swallowed, already feeling desire pooling low inside her.

Sesshomaru scooted the dress a little lower, exposing the top of Rin's thin black thong. She heard him give a low growl before pushing her against the wall, in a soft, but aggressive movement. His hand snaked forward and gripped her right breast in his hand, as he pushed his growing erection against her ass. Rin held in the moan she wanted to release, afraid Kimiko would come back and find them together doing such inappropriate things in her dressing room.

Rin could feel the heat and slickness growing between her thighs with each light thrust Sesshomaru gave. Finally she whispered hoarsely," Just take me, Sesshomaru. Please."

Sesshomaru stopped his movement, seeming taken aback by her words. He remained silent, pulling her from the wall to face him. He nodded to her clothes and gave a short command, "Get dressed."

Confused, and somewhat hurt by his reaction, Rin did as she was told while he waited outside for her. She hung the gown back on it's hangar and stepped out of the door, meeting Sesshomaru's gaze with sad eyes.

"Kimiko!" he called to the front of the store.

She quickly appeared with a lazy, "Yes, sir?"

"We will take the blue gown," he told her, motioning towards the dressing room. She nodded, stepping in to get it, and back out to lead them to the register.

Once purchased, Sesshomaru and Rin left, leaving the small woman with a wave and a few words of thanks. Sesshomaru hung the gown in the back of his car with care. He opened the door for a worried Rin, who got in, carrying on the silence though her mind screamed for her to speak and ask him what was wrong.

When he got in the car she opened her mouth to say something but he held his hand up. "Just wait, Rin. I have something I want to discuss with you, but not here."

Rin felt slightly relieved. If it was anything bad his tone did not reflect it. After a short drive they arrived at a local park. The sun was now setting, casting a golden glow among the trees and park benches. Sesshomaru helped her out of the car and led her down the narrow path until they came to rest under some especially beautiful trees, giving their final bloom before the end of summer.

Finally getting the courage to voice her concern, Rin looked at Sesshomaru and dared him to tell her to be quiet. "What's wrong, Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru looked down, as if struggling to find the right words, "Rin, I just have something to ask you. Your concern is misplaced."

"Oh?" she said, raising an eyebrow at him.

He stared at her for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a long, thin blue velvet box. He opened it, revealing a thin white gold chain. It held an elegant blue diamond crescent moon. Rin gasped at it, reaching towards it but pulling her hand back hesitantly, afraid to touch such a beautiful and expensive piece of jewelry.

Her eyes snapped to his with a questioning gaze.

"This Sesshomaru thought you might like this. It will let others know you are taken by the honorable future ruler of the Western Lands. If you accept, I would like this to be the first official courting gift I bestow upon you," he explained, still holding the box open for her to stare at.

Rin nodded dumbly, as if in a fog. He was asking officially. She knew this may eventually lead to their engagement and eventual marriage and an excitement poured over her.

Finally she spoke, her words shaky. "Sesshomaru, I.. of course. Of course I accept! It's so beautiful. I can't believe.." she trailed off as he removed the necklace from it's box and clasped it around her neck.

"I wished for you to have it in time for the ball, but did not want you to feel as if I were rushing our courting," he paused but continued at her nod, "but when you requested I take you I nearly did. However, I refuse to sully the name of the future Lady of the West," he said with passion.

Rin beamed up at him. He respected her as a woman, as a lady, and as his possible future mate. She reached up, cupping his cheek in her hand, and kissed him gently. "Who knew I would end up courting my boss?" she laughed, fingering the necklace.

"I did," he said, covering her hand with his, pulling it from his cheek to hold it by his side.

"What?" she asked, baffled.

"Though I tried to ignore it, I sensed long ago you were my future mate," he admitted, watching for her reaction.

"Is that how you always just knew things about me? Why didn't you ever say anything?" she wondered to him, her cheeks turning pink remembering his purchase of her favorite lady things and his knowledge of what sizes she wore.

"Yes, it was easy for me to sense this information about you. I thought it best to let our possible relationship progress naturally though."

"Well, I guess you could say it has," she mumbled with a giggle, tightening her grip on his hand and giving him another soft kiss.

They held each other tightly and watched the sun sink below the earth, both completely lost in happiness.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: A slightly late update. Took my birthday off! haha.**  
**And if you check out that pinterest board the dress and hair she has are on there. **  
**I was sad to see my story was added to the community for worst inuyasha fanfics. I thought I was doing a decent job. But then I saw who runs it and rolled my eyes. Some people! I also couldn't find a way to take my story off that community? Is there a way to do that? If not that's kinda crappy fanfic! Loving the reviews. Almost at 100 follows. SO excited about that. Anyway, enjoy.**

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Rin stared in the mirror at the gorgeous young lady that reflected back at her. It took her a moment to recognize the figure as herself, her long hair pinned up and her make up heavily done. Her eyes held a smokey black and grey palette and heavy eye liner traced the edge of her lids. Her bangs were swept to the side with a large bouffant on the top of her head, the rest of her hair pulled to the side, sleek curls spiraling down to below her breasts.

Kagome sat beside her in the salon chair, eyes shut, eyebrows raised, while the make up artist finished her own smokey eye. The women had been thrilled to learn their boyfriends had scheduled a special day out for them before the ball. Massages and facials topped off with make up and hair appointments. Rin watched the finishing touches being added, smiling at her friends lovely loose curls.

"Well?" Kagome asked, turning her face to show off the artist's handy work.

"You look gorgeous, Kagome!" Rin cried, a wide smile coming to her lips.

"So do you. I think the boys are going to be in shock seeing us so done up," Kagome said, a mischievous grin forming.

Rin nodded, looking back to the mirror. She was good with make up and she had put a lot on a few times during her time with Sesshomaru, but nothing like this. He'd either be extremely impressed or terribly horrified. Honestly, they had never talked about his preferences in women before. Was she even his type? She had seen Kagura of course and had the misfortune of interacting with her. Rin couldn't help but wonder if most of Sesshomaru's former flames were as ruthless as that woman.

Kagome startled her from her inner thoughts when she appeared in front of her, offering a hand to pull Rin from her chair. "Ready to go get dressed?"

"Huh?" Rin grunted, crinkling her brows. "Oh yeah," she mumbled, remembering their next stop. Sesshomaru had said he'd send a car to pick them up and drop them off at his father's mansion, where the party was being held. She and Kagome would have their own room to prepare in before their beaus escorted them downstairs and they were introduced to the party.

Rin held her breath nervously thinking about the party itself. All three of the Taisho men would be recognized and toasted as they entered the room full of business clients and personal. She and Kagome would appear beside the men as supportive girlfriends and Toga's wife, Izayoi would be by his side as well.

Everyone would know the truth about her relationship with her boss. There would be no point trying to tell anyone they actually became an item after the _Pop_ article, she didn't think anyone would believe that.

As the car pulled up to the mansion, Rin's eyes widened. She had thought Sesshomaru's home oozed grandeur but it was nothing compared to Toga's lavish estate.

The driveway curved to the front of the mansion while a circle of bright green grass sat within it, a fountain atop the grass. Two stone pillars stood guard on either side of huge wooden doors, a curved balcony resting above them. Rin could see three silver haired men standing on the balcony, watching the car as they pulled in. The driver opened the door for them, giving a friendly wave as they walked to the doors, trying to hide their faces and hair from their watchful boyfriends.

Rin and Kagome traveled up the small staircase to the front door but as Rin reached her hand up to knock the door opened and a beautiful dark haired woman beckoned to them.

"Come in my dears! Welcome to our home, Rin. Kagome, it is good to see you again," the woman chirped, giving Kagome a small hug.

"It's good to see you too, Lady Izayoi," Kagome said bashfully.

"Darling, you do not need to call me lady. You are the love of my son's life after all," Izayoi beamed, cupping Kagome's chin in her hand. Kagome blushed at the motherly gesture and nodded.

"You are just as beautiful as I imagined, Rin. I am Izayoi Taisho. I am so pleased to meet you," Izayoi said, putting her arm around Rin's shoulder. Rin found herself looking into friendly brown eyes, black bangs brushing over them slightly.

"I'm pleased to meet you as well, my lady," was all Rin could muster, nerves kicking in.

"The same goes for you as well, dear. No titles needed! Come! I will show you to your rooms. Your dresses are waiting and if you need any help let me know," their host ordered, leading them up one of the grand stair cases on either side of the lobby. When they arrived at their room Izayoi gave them a wave goodbye. "The boys will come get you when it's time to come down!" she informed them, disappearing around the corner of the hallway.

"Well she's.." Rin began once safely inside their room, but wasn't sure how to finish the sentence. "Nice," she finally said.

"She is really the sweetest. Full of energy though!" Kagome said with a smile, catching Rin's pause.

Rin nodded in agreement. She had not expected Inuyasha's mother to be so friendly and sweet considering his own mannerisms. Sesshomaru hadn't said much about Izayoi but she could only imagine how he felt about having to be around such a sun shiny person. But she immediately felt a strong like for the woman and her sweet attitude, noting to make sure and try to be around her more this evening.

"Oh shit, this is more beautiful than I remember," Kagome whispered, pulling her white dress from it's protective bag. It was a halter with gold beading along the straps and bust. Kagome slipped it on and Rin moved to help her zip it up. The dress hugged Kagome's curves tightly and even Rin had to admit her friend looked incredibly sexy.

"Wow, girl! Inuyasha is going to have a tough time keeping his hands off of you tonight!" Rin exclaimed, giving Kagome's butt a slap. Kagome immediately turned red and swiped at Rin with her hand.

"Gee thanks! Could have done without that!" she replied, moving to get Rin's dress out for her.

Kagome fingered the blue material gently before handing it to Rin. "It really is beautiful," she half whispered, watching Rin step into it.

Kagome zipped it and handed Rin her silver heels. Rin slipped them on and turned to stare at herself in the mirror. Her dark eyes, fancy hair, and expensive dress made her feel like a princess. She turned to her best friend and hugged her tightly. Tonight was the first time she truly felt grown up.

Before Kagome could speak a hard and loud knock sounded against the door. Rin opened it slowly, only to have Inuyasha shove it open the rest of the way, eagerly blowing past her and to his girlfriend.

"You look awesome, Kagome!" he cried, looking up and down her body before promptly pulling her into his arms. "So sexy!"

"Told you," Rin snorted, rolling her eyes when Kagome shot her an annoyed look. She peeked out the door hoping to see her own date waiting for her but he was no where to be seen. "Where is your brother, Inuyasha?" she asked, suddenly feeling nervous.

"Feh, chill out kid. He's coming," he half scolded, displeased with her interruption of his affection towards Kagome.

Looking warily at her companions and their eager, horny eyes, she quietly excused herself from the room, opting to find a less sexual location to wait in. Rin wandered down the hall slowly, inspecting the various paintings and photographs that hung along the wall. As she neared the end of the hallway she saw a very large painting of the three Taisho men.

She stepped closer and inspected the piece, noticing how true to detail it was. Toga stood in between his sons in full body armor from the feudal era, as did Sesshomaru to his right. Inuyasha stood to the left of him wearing a red kimono. Rin stared at the painted Sesshomaru, drawn in by his harsh features and the scowl that graced his lips. She wondered what type of demon he had been during those ruthless times but quickly shrugged the thought off, figuring it was best she not know. Returning her gaze to Inuyasha she ran her fingers over the paint of the red kimono.

"The Robe of the Fire-Rat," a masculine voice said behind her.

Rin whirled around coming face to face with Sesshomaru. "Huh?" she questioned, confused by his statement.

"What Inuyasha wears is the Robe of the Fire-Rat," he clarified, motioning to where she had just been staring.

"Oh," she nodded. But she instantly forgot the work of art as she let her eyes rest on Sesshomaru. He looked incredibly debonair in his crisp tuxedo. His hair fell loose around his shoulders and his hands rested in his pockets. Her mother had always said every man looked good in a suit, but she was pretty sure he looked a million times over that.

The demon seemed to be assessing her as well, his eyes resting on the curve of her breasts for a moment before moving back to her face. Her fingers went to her crescent moon necklace to play with it nervously under his stare. Sesshomaru stepped closer to her, letting his hand cup her jaw, moving her face inches from his own.

"You look beautiful, my Rin," he whispered into her ear.

Heat rose to her face and between her legs feeling his warm breath on her sensitive ears. Sesshomaru noticed her reaction and nuzzled her neck lightly. Rin tried to shrug him off, not because she didn't enjoy his advances but because she didn't want to interact with people and only think of sex the entire time.

Sesshomaru smirked but retreated, respecting her unspoken wishes. He turned, holding out his arm for her. She accepted with a smile, holding onto it tightly, nervousness returning to her. They made it to the room she had left the two lovebirds in and was relieved to see they had stopped whatever nasty things they were doing. The two pairs made their way towards the stairs where Rin could already here peaceful music and the hum of indistinct conversation.

Toga and Izayoi were already to the side of the landing, arm in arm, Izayoi gazing lovingly into her husband's eyes, looking amazing in an emerald green mermaid gown. Rin smiled at the sweet sight and glanced up to her boyfriend to see he wore a scowl at his father and his wife.

"Well if everyone is ready I believe we shall begin this party officially," Toga said with a wink. Without waiting for a response he began walking down the steps of the grand staircase. When he stopped in the middle, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru stepped down with their ladies as well, stopping on either side of their father just a few steps behind.

Rin tried to control her emotions but found it difficult as at least two hundred people turned to face the group as Toga began a speech. She tried to focus on his words but was failing miserably at that as well. Something about how the business started and his faithful sons rung in her ears but she could barely put it together over the drum of her heartbeat in her ears.

She felt her hand being squeezed tightly and looked up to see Sesshomaru was giving her a reassuring nod. She let the breath she had been holding out, relaxing her muscles, thinking of being wrapped up in Sesshomaru's warm embrace. Already the tension was rolling away much to Rin's relief. She calmed just in time to hear the end of Toga's speech.

"And so my friends, thank you for all the hard work and dedication you have put into this company. May the fruits of all our labors continue to be wonderful," he boomed, his friendly smile beaming to he crowd. A servant came up the stairs just in time to hand the group a glass of champagne, which Toga took and immediately held out to the audience below. "To all of us and to 50 more years!" he cried.

The people below raised their glasses in tandem with him and they all threw their drinks back as applause erupted afterwards. Rin eyed her drink, sipping at it in a lady-like manner, not wanting to become drunk at a business event.

The pace of the party quickly picked back up as the music restarted and the guests mingled. Sesshomaru and Rin sailed through the crowd, Sesshomaru nodding to various clients and employees. A thin man with a very loose dinner jacket made his way towards them and Rin saw Sesshomaru twitch slightly.

"Ah, Sesshomaru my boy! Is this the lovely Rin your father was telling me about? She seems far out of your league, I must say," the man chortled.

Rin's mouth hung down slightly at the old man's blatant disrespect. She had never heard anyone speak to Sesshomaru in such a way. His bicep jumped under her hand and she could tell he was holding back anger.

"Yes, Totosai. This is Rin. Rin this is Totosai. A very old and obnoxious friend of my father's, who clearly has yet to learn when to keep his mouth shut," the young demon quipped.

Rin suddenly felt very uncomfortable as she looked between the two demons, who now stood eyeing each other.

"Hmph. You ungrateful dog. Don't mention the sword's I made for you boys or anything," the old man barked.

Deciding it was time to step in, literally, Rin moved forward a bit, to come between them. "Nice to meet you, Totosai. I believe Sesshomaru has mentioned you and what an amazing sword smith you are."

Sesshomaru gave her a glare but pulled it back in. Rin figured he was probably remembering this was one reason he had wanted her to come to this ball with him originally. He really had no patience for people and she did.

"What a charming and sweet young woman. Much too good for the likes of you, Sesshomaru!" the old man called over his shoulder moving past them and towards Toga.

"One day I will kill that arrogant old man for his constant disrespect," Sesshomaru said, watching him go.

"Well that day is not today, my friend. Rein it in! I think you've killed enough recently anyway," Rin bit out, hand flying to her mouth right away, realizing her mistake.

"Come again, Rin?" Sesshomaru asked, pulling her to the side of the room.

"I just meant.." but she trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Do not lie."

Rin sighed. What would be the point? He could smell a lie a mile away anyway. "I happened to see some news articles form New York is all.. about a body being found.."

"And your point is?" Sesshomaru snarled, obviously already knowing where she was heading with it.

"Charlie."

"The answer to what you are insinuating is yes," he stated plainly, without apology.

Rin stopped breathing for a moment. She had already known the answer was yes, he had killed him, but hearing the demon admit it out loud was another thing. She tried to feel angry at him for killing a man but instead she found she felt nothing. That man was going to do horrible things to her and had hurt her. A dark place deep inside her made her not care.

"What are you thinking, Rin?" he asked, tipping her chin upwards so she would look into his eyes.

"I'm thinking I don't know how to feel about that," she replied honestly. "He was a bad man. I know you thought you were protecting me."

"I know I was protecting what is mine," he whispered lowly.

At that Rin let a small smile form on her lips. "Dance with me," she demanded, deciding she'd rather put the thought of Charlie to the side for now.

He obliged, leading her to the ballroom. If Rin hadn't noticed onlooker's stares she did now. All eyes moved to her and her boss as they took the floor and began a slow waltz. The magazine article flashed through her mind but as Sesshomaru's grip on her waist tightened she decided she didn't care anymore. She pressed closer against him and rested her head on his shoulder.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kagura's face contort with anger while she stood in the corner of the room watching them dance. A brief anxiety weighed on her thinking the demon woman might come onto the dance floor and forcibly rip her from Sesshomaru's arms, but instead Kagura retreated farther into her corner and looked away.

The two danced the next few dances, nodding politely at other couples they passed by. But when the band stopped their music and the lights brightened a bit Rin lifted her head from Sesshomaru's shoulder. In the center of the floor stood Inuyasha and Kagome, Inuyasha looking terrified and Kagome looking confused.

Rin's heart pumped faster and faster as she realized what was happening. She and Sesshomaru watched as Inuyasha fumbled with a small black box, attempting to speak but failing miserably due to his nerves.

"I..I..You see.." he fumbled. Finally, growing annoyed with himself, he bent to his knee opening the box before Kagome. A sparkle came from the box and Rin watched Kagome's eyes grow wide. Inuyasha took her hand in his gently, still trying to find the words.

"Kagome," he finally started, "marry me?"

The entire room's eyes snapped to Kagome. Tears formed at the corner of her large eyes as she yelled,"Yes, yes, YES!"

Everyone clapped and cheered. Kagome looked completely shocked and Rin hoped someone had recorded the cute scene. "Did you know about this?" she asked Sesshomaru.

"No. Though he had been acting strangely all day today," he replied with a shrug.

Rin barely caught his words though as she made her way towards her best friend. Upon seeing Rin, Kagome's tears started all over again. The women hugged tightly, Rin gawking at her friend's huge engagement ring.

"Congratulations best friend. I love you," Rin whispered in her ear. But soon they were separated by the crowd that engulfed the newly betrothed Kagome. Rin gave a small wave and retreated back to Sesshomaru, who now stood against the back wall of the ballroom.

"Would you like to leave, Rin?" he inquired.

"If you are getting tired of everything we can," she said with a smile, seeing the annoyance in his eyes. He was already sick of the crowd.

"This Sesshomaru thought you might like to visit his home once again," he stated, leaving her to read between the lines.

Rin stared at him for a moment unsure of how to respond.

Was he asking her to spend the night with him?


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews. Nearing two hundred! Holy crap! And Happy late birthday icegirljenni! You get a shout out as well as Taraah36 and Karrat. I always look forward to hearing from yall. Thank you for always commenting! **  
**This chapter just kind of took off. I did not sit down with the intention to have it go this way. I think most of you will reallllly enjoy it. **

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Rin sucked air in surprise at her boyfriend's question. It was already getting late, so much so that she should really be getting back home and into her bed. But getting into Sesshomaru's bed didn't sound too awful either.

He had said no sex until they were to officially become mates. Rin was beginning to see that as a challenge. She was a virgin but something about the demon made her long to be stripped of that title. She continued standing in silence, looking as if she were considering his offer, when really she had already made her decision. But making him sweat a little couldn't hurt.

"Rin?" he questioned when she had still not responded.

"Hm? Oh yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking is all. I'd love to go back to your place. Maybe take a swim or something," she said sweetly, hoping he might catch the hint.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow but nodded, offering his arm to her once again. They walked through the crowd, giving another wave to Kagome and Inuyasha, who still stood surrounded by people, looking overwhelmed.

"Looks like your father was right. People saw us together tonight but with their engagement no one will even remember," Rin pointed out, obvious relief on her face.

"Indeed," was all Sesshomaru replied, guiding her out a backdoor and to his waiting car. Once they got in and were settled he took off, going way to fast for Rin's comfort. She gripped the side of her door tightly, only letting go when she saw his home come into view.

"That was a short ride," she said.

"Yes, my father and I do not live far from each other. Makes it easier for business matters that must be taken care of outside of the office," he explained with a shrug.

"Shit. I just realized I forgot all my stuff at Toga's house!" Rin cried, putting her head in her hand with a sigh.

Sesshomaru jerked his head towards the rear of the car. Rin spun around and saw her things neatly piled behind her. Of course he had everything taken care of and under control, she thought with a smile.

"Thanks," she murmured, resting her hand on his. It was a wonderful feeling knowing he was always there to help her. She pecked his cheek with a short kiss and climbed out of the car, not bothering to wait on him to open her door.

They walked into the mansion, Sesshomaru aptly ignoring Jaken as if he were nothing more than a coat rack. Rin gave the green toad a small wave but kept her distance, his green tone and yellow bug eyes grossing her out. The imp looked painfully rejected but retreated away without a word, leaving the couple to themselves.

Come, Rin. I'll show you to your room."

Rin's head shot up in surprise, but Sesshomaru never saw as he had already turned around to lead the way upstairs. She had expected to be in his room but maybe he thought that would be too forward. After following him down various hallways they came to a stop and he opened the door for her.

Her eyes grew round at the extravagant room. It was fit for a woman, with yellow and teal accents against a dark grey wall. In a way, it almost seemed fit for her specifically. The king bed had a beautiful turquoise comforter with yellow and brown pillows piled on top. In the very middle against the foremost pillow sat one red rose. Rin gasped upon seeing it and ran over to snatch it up, immediately pulling it to her nose and breathing in it's sweet scent.

"Oh Sesshomaru! This is so sweet!" she yelled, throwing her arms around his neck.

He gave a small nod, looking uncomfortable with the attention for being so charming, and gently pushed her back to look at her face. "What would you like to do, Rin?"

The girl frowned, trying to think of something fun they could do. A movie sounded boring, she was already completely 'danced' out from the ball, and she was feeling pretty tired in general.

Deciding they should change out of their formal attire whle she thought of something to do, Sesshomaru disappeared, letting Rin dig through her bag to find the clothes she was wearing earlier in the day. A pink button up sweater and tight jean capris with black flats were ten times more comfortable than her dress and she felt her body relax as she sat down on her bed to wait for Sesshomaru's return.

A few minutes later he returned wearing a dark green collared shirt and black slacks. Rin was beginning to wonder if he owned any articles of clothing other than business casual.

"Do you have any board games?" she inquired, her eyes hopeful.

"I do not play games," came his usual apathetic response.

"Yes, of course. I should have known," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Well you can start playing some. Do you have any cards at least?"

He shot her a look and Rin rolled her eyes again. Of course he wouldn't have a deck of cards. Difficult dog.

"Okay well what games can we play without an actual game itself? Tic Tac Toe again? Twenty questions? Hide and seek?" she wondered, tapping her chin.

Sesshomaru's shoulders perked up a bit and he cocked his head. "Hide and seek?"

"Well maybe we are too old for it," she admitted, but catching the look in his golden eyes she laughed. "You do have the perfect house for it though."

"And how do you suggest going about playing this game?" he asked her.

"Well how about you count to 250, and I'll go hide. No using your sense of smell though!" she demanded, not wanting to give him an unfair advantage. She placed her hand in the middle of his chest and rubbed her head under his chin with affection.

"I would not dishonor myself by cheating," he assured her. "Now go hide."

Rin nodded, quickly turning on her heel and running out the door. The long hallways felt like a giant maze to her, but she kept going no matter what, taking all the twists and turns she could. At one point, seeing a bathroom door slightly ajar she ducked inside and sprayed herself with some perfume she found, hoping to dilute her scent.

Realizing she was probably running out of time, Rin pushed open the door of the next room she ran across. Much to her delight it seemed to be a room used for storage. Various pieces of furniture were strewn about including a large cabinet with two doors and no shelves. Rin smiled, knowing she had found the perfect spot.

She knew he would easily find her. Even if he tried to block out her scent he would hear her delicate heart beating or somehow sense her presence. He was incredibly good at knowing her next move and how she felt or what she needed. But right now Rin just wanted to play with him.

A devilish grin formed on her lips and she unbuttoned her sweater to below her breasts, letting the plain white bra she wore pop out. She also pulled her pants off throwing them into the cabinet with her shoes unceremoniously. Next, she climbed in herself, anticipation radiating from her. Rin couldn't wait to see the look on Sesshomaru's face when he found her.

But as time wore on she found herself getting bored. He should have found her by now. She wished she had something to play with to keep her entertained but didn't want to risk moving and missing her chance to seduce him. She felt her eyes growing heavy as an extreme sleepiness came over her but she fought it.

And she was incredibly glad she did. Finally, the door of the room creaked open and she jumped slightly, heart racing and nerves jumping around in her stomach. A shadow appeared over the crack of the doors she sat behind and they were pulled open.

When the light hit her, she smiled sweetly, pushing off the side of the piece to help herself up. She climbed out of the cabinet and stood before Sesshomaru, who now stood eyes locked on her body. Her boobs were hanging from her shirt, still safely tucked away in her bra, while her white thong seemed to be drawing his eyes in the most.

Rin turned slightly so he could get a better view of her ass, biting her lip innocently. "Took you long enough to find me, my lord," she cooed softly.

The man's eyes snapped to hers at her use of his title, oozing a pleased glint. He remained still and Rin was afraid she had done something wrong. But a silver blur caught her eye and before she knew it she was slammed against the wall, her legs pulled up around his waist, his hands cupping her ass. She could feel his erection against her thigh and felt heat radiate through her core. They stared into one another's eyes for a moment before kissing harshly, their lips crashing together.

Rin wrapped her hand around his silver locks, letting the other hand rest on his chest. She moaned as he kissed down her neck, sucking hard at the base of her collar bone. One of his hands left her bottom and came to her chest. With one smooth movement he used a claw to cut the center of her bra. It popped apart, her breasts falling out, nipples standing erect.

Sesshomaru growled lowly and grabbed one breasts, massaging it hard, fingers rubbing lightly over her pink crests. Rin groaned his name deep in her throat, and pumped her hips, hitting his hard member. She moaned louder as it hit against the spot of her growing desire, wanting more. She scratched at his shoulder, gripping it tightly, trying to control her want for him.

Normally at this point Sesshomaru would stop them, knowing where it would head, and refusing to let it go there. But this time Rin would refuse to _not_ let it go there. Or not at least go somewhere. She had some experience with men but very little. Her mind wandered briefly to the stiffness jabbing against her. She had never been good at dirty talk.

What would she call it? She ran through the list of words she knew it was called, picking one. Cock was good right? She mentally shook herself and tried to refocus on the amazing sensations Sesshomaru was causing across her body. He squeezed her butt tightly, pulling her hips even closer against him. Their passionate kisses continued, getting harder and rougher.

Finally, Sesshomaru let Rin slide down his body and back to the floor, quickly pushing her body to pin her against the wall. She squeaked, surprised, but quickly became surprised by something else. His hand now moved across her stomach, getting lower and lower. When he skimmed the edge of her thong, her face grew even more red, knowing where it was heading.

It trailed over her underwear and landed on the small sensitive bud underneath. He rubbed in small circular motions and Rin leaned her head back against the wall, her breathing becoming harder. He had done this before, but tonight it felt different. He leaned his head down and gave a small lick against her nipple, earning a buck from her body.

She peeked down at him and could have sworn she saw a smirk as he let his teeth graze the nipple and he licked at it again. She moaned louder, feeling the wetness pooling between her thighs. She desperately wanted more. She reached her hand out and gripped his erection, earning a surprised groan from his lips. She had yet to give it much attention, as their trysts usually focused on making out and ended before they got very far.

She rubbed at it and it twitched involuntarily in her hand, obviously eager for more. As if not wanting to be outdone, Sesshomaru moved the bottom of her thong away, and stroked against the soaking wet crease of her womanhood. Rin nearly screamed, completely taken aback. They were going into new territory and Rin felt excited at where it may take them. Mating ceremony be damned! She wanted him.

She leaned into him, biting at his neck, still massaging his cock through his pants. When he slid one finger farther into her, she gripped his arm tightly, letting a small and soft 'oh' escape her lips. Rin let her hand travel up to Sesshomaru's belt, using one hand to release it from it's buckle, pulling it away from the button of his pants. She played with the button, finding it difficult to get it through it's hole with one hand, but she managed to release it after a moment, sliding the zipper down as well. She pulled his pants down, exposing his boxers and his erection through them.

He pushed farther into her with his finger and she gasped, becoming even more eager to give him his own pleasure. She managed to get the hole of his boxers open enough to free him and her hand gripped his manhood tightly. She saw a small bead of clear liquid on it's tip and she moaned just at the sight. At least she knew he was enjoying it too. She moved her hand back and forth, causing another, deeper, growl to escape Sesshomaru lips. He fingered at her harder, and soon they had matched each other's pace.

Rin arched, feeling amazing, but she wanted more. She let go of him, much to his chagrin, and pulled her sweater and the tattered bra off as well as her underwear, now standing completely naked before him. She made fast work of unbuttoning his shirt, yanking it off his arms and back with force, staring at his chiseled chest. Taking the hint, he kicked his pants and boxer's off.

The girl before him stared at his body, eyes growing wide now that she could finally see the true size of his manhood. A brief fear came over her at the thought of such a large thing entering her body. Kami, it would hurt. But she knocked that thought aside when she felt her own warm liquid against her thighs. Her desire was growing more and more and she wanted to feel him inside her.

She stepped to him, giving him a chaste kiss, before grabbing his erection. She pushed it down slightly until it rubbed against her warmth and it's slick flesh. It hit against her aching womanhood, making her call out Sesshomaru's name.

When he didn't respond, only continued rubbing his dick against her dripping softness, Rin glanced up to see a pink tint in his eyes. He seemed to be battling himself, a frown on his elegant face. His magenta stripes were slightly more jagged and Rin found herself becoming even more turned on.

"Fuck me!" she cried, attempting to jump up and wrap her legs around him once again.

When he slammed her into the wall she screamed at the force, but easily forgot it, when she felt his erection at her opening. But suddenly Sesshomaru stopped, breathing out, "No."

He continued holding her, one hand against the wall, his head hung low. "I want you, Rin. But we cannot do this here and now. You deserve more."

Rin considered his words. Now seemed as good as time as any. Whether they ended up mated or not she felt she would never regret giving her virginity to such a god. She wriggled against him, trying to make his erection slide into her but he pulled back, setting her back to the floor.

"It's not me is it?" she asked, a sadness washing over her.

Sesshomaru gave her a nasty look as he caught her meaning. "Of course it is not you. Do not say such things. I simply refuse to disgrace us both by giving into carnal needs before we have completed the courting rituals."

Rin sighed. She knew he was right. She didn't necessarily care in that moment, but she knew what he said was true. The courting and mating rituals seemed important to him and deep down they were to her too. She gave a small nod, looking up to smile at him sweetly. He ran his finger down her cheek. giving her a long, hard kiss. She felt her desire flare up again, but pushed it back down.

He picked her up bridal style, carrying her from the dark storage room. Rin looked around nervously as he walked naked down the hallways until they were back at her room. But instead of entering through her door, he went to the one a few feet next to it, knocking it open with a slight kick. Rin's eyes widened, realizing they were in his room.

She noticed a lot of gold, purple, and red, all royal colors she knew, not surprised he'd pick such a color scheme. His bed was gigantic, red satin sheets looking inviting to her.

He walked her into his bathroom, which held an entirely different level of grandeur all together. But before she had much of a chance to look around he set her down in front of a huge glass door. He opened it, revealing a large shower. Sesshomaru turned the water on and when it was warm enough he pulled her under it, holding onto to her tightly. Rin let the hot water roll over her, wrapping her arms around Sesshomaru's back and resting her head on his chest.

The pair stayed like that, clinging to each other, sharing soft caresses and kisses under the water until finally deciding to get out. They dried off quickly and climbed into his bed, both still undressed. Rin pulled the pins out of her wet hair, wishing she had remembered to do so before getting under the water. When she was done, she found Sesshomaru watching her.

"I have something for you," he told her, holding out a piece of paper.

Rin took it from him, staring at it with a quirked brow. It was a blank check. "What is this?"

"Your second courting gift. I will pay for your college tuition. Any college, anywhere, no matter how expensive. And no matter what happens between us in the long run the offer will stand," he explained, sitting up, arms resting on his knees.

"Sesshomaru, I.." she paused, trying to find the words, tears stinging her eyes. "I don't know what to say. I would say I can't accept such a gracious gift but I know I have to," she laughed.

"It pleases you then?" he wondered, reaching a hand out to cup her face, pulling her closer to him.

"Yes. Very much. Thank you, Sesshomaru. You are amazing," she whispered.

He gave her a small smile before pulling her down onto him, stroking her hair. Rin held onto him tightly, listening to his heartbeat, the steady drumming lulling her into a sleep against his chest.

The last thing she felt was the rise and fall of his chest as he held her.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: SOOOOOO sorry guys! I'm a few days overdue. Had some family stuff pop up but it should be fine now and I'll have more time to write again. TWO hundred reviews and over one hundred follows! Thanks so much guys. Reviews, follows, and favorites really inspire me to keep writing. I'm so glad yall are enjoying the story. **  
**Love: Haha that made me laugh! Glad you got to be the one to hit 200. And that you stumbled on Royals. One of my favorites currently.**  
**Princessnevermore:Thank you for saying that! Sometimes he's hard to write because he's so.. cold. ha.  
And her dress in this chapter is on the pinterest board.**

**Everyone enjoy!**

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Rin returned home to her and Kagome's apartment Sunday evening. She and Sesshomaru had spent the rest of the weekend just spending time together and enjoying one another's company. But Rin felt it would be better to head to the office separately. After all, she had told herself, they weren't living together and boundaries needed to be drawn.

Though waking up in his muscular, lean, thrillingly sexy body wasn't bad at all. Servants had brought them breakfast in bed Sunday morning, and she sat beside him, eating quietly, watching TV. But her mind was racing. Things felt like they were getting serious. His second courting gift had been marvelous and something she could never have dreamed of. He even told her later she could go to an American college if she so wished.

But she decided to think about everything again another day. For now, she could just sit back, relax, and have some fun with a wonderfully sculpted and handsome demon. He had brought her home and said goodbye with a light kiss and a push inside the doorway.

Kagome lay on the couch reading a news article about herself and her new fiance's engagement. "I look fat," she lamented with a groan.

"You do not!" Rin chimed in, sitting on the floor and leaning back against the couch.

Twirling Rin's hair absently in front of her, Kagome smiled, "You're mentioned once or twice. Photographed too."

Rin let out a sigh and took the laptop to glance at the online piece. Nothing major was said, other than they arrived together and disappeared shortly after the engagement between Inuyasha and Kagome. One picture did capture a brief moment between the two brothers where Sesshomaru looked less hateful than normal and shook Inuyasha's hand.

"Well that's sweet," Rin said, pointing the picture out. "I didn't know they even spoke afterwards, let alone that Sesshomaru gave him congratulations."

"Oh, apparently Sesshomaru will be best man," Kagome said with a shrug. At Rin's shocked face she shrugged once again. "I know, I was surprised too. But I think it's fitting since you'll be my maid of honor."

"Really, Kag-" Rin started, putting her hand to her face in feigned surprise, but with a look from her best friend, she laughed. "Yeah I figured of course. When is the wedding?"

"Inuyasha is being really impatient and difficult," Kagome muttered, "He insists we get married as soon as possible. Within the next 3 months."

"Wow, that is fast."

"Yeah and I keep trying to tell him we just can't plan such a big wedding in such little time. Toga mentioned hiring event planners and all this stuff and just.." Kagome stopped, letting out a sigh.

"It's a lot," Rin said softly, patting Kagome's hand. "But I think you guys can do it. True love and all."

Kagome rolled her eyes at Rin's comment and decided she was ready for bed. Rin nodded, watching her go. Strange to think Kagome would be a married woman in only a few months time. Would she be married in a few months as well?

Rin shook her head with a laugh. Probably not.

Monday morning was now here and she stood in front of the mirror, inspecting her naked form. She had a nice body. Her breasts were large, round and perky, her waist small, and her ass round and sultry. She really wanted to get Sesshomaru to sleep with her. In her mind it was becoming a game.

She smiled devilishily and went to her closet, pulling out a satin form fitting red dress. It had a deep v-neck lined with ruffles, showing just enough of her chest to look sexy but not enough to look slutty. She dug through her closet until she was able to find the perfect pair of black stiletto heels.

Deciding she looked perfect she stepped from her room and grabbed some breakfast. Kagome stumbled in a few minutes later, looking tired.

"Long night?" Rin asked, swallowing the last of her cereal.

"Ugh yeah. Guest list," Kagome muttered brusquely. Her clothes seemed slightly disheveled and her hair was thrown into an easy pony tail. She shoved a banana into her mouth like it had offended her.

Not wanting to incur any wrath her best friend might be feeling, Rin gave a nod and got ready to leave. She slipped a condom into her purse, feeling confident she could seduce Sesshomaru well enough to make him lose control in the office.

"What was that?" came Kagome's rough question.

"What?" Rin replied, trying to brush the inquiry off.

"I saw you put that into your purse.. and you're wearing that overly slutty dress to work.. Holy shit.. Are you and Sesshomaru already having sex?" Kagome barked out, hand flying to her mouth. "Are you doing it in the office? After all the times you got onto me!"

Rin closed her eyes, letting out a sigh. Wow, she was obviously horrible at being incognito. "No, we aren't having sex," she stated evenly, keeping her face clear of emotion.

Kagome stared at her for a moment, eyes searching into Rin's. After several silent moments she let out a small laugh. "Ah. You aren't but you want to!"

Rin sighed, feeling defeated. "Yeah, pretty much. Honor this, honor that he says. But he's a god! I just want to.. ya know.. do him."

The girls collapsed into laughter together, holding their sides. "When did we become sex obsessed?" Kagome asked between huffed breaths.

"Right around when those Taisho boys came into our lives." Rin said with a giggle. "Come on," she said, regaining her composure,"we're going to be late."

Once they arrived at work, Kagome was immediately engulfed in a group of loud women, all asking for every detail. Kagome held her hand out to Rin, as if asking to be rescued. Rin simply stared at her and gave a friendly wave, leaving the woman to answer their coworkers questions. The more attention on Kagome and Inuyasha, the less on she and Sesshomaru.

Rin opened his office door, easily slipping in unnoticed. But what she saw stopped her in her tracks.

Kagura and someone Rin could only assume was her father sat in front of Sesshomaru, both of them looking darkly at Rin's unexpected arrival. Sesshomaru looked calm on the exterior but Rin saw a flash of anger in his golden orbs.

"Oh, Kami, I'm sorry. I'll just-" Rin began, backing up to the door she had just came through.

"No. Stay," the dark haired man with Kagura ordered.

"Yes please do," Kagura purred out, tapping the fan she often carried. "I think you'll want to hear what we're discussing."

"This does not concern her," Sesshomaru said in a harsh tone, looking to the man across his desk.

"Oh I think it does," Kagura hissed. "After all, doesn't she deserve to know how you were courting me only a few months ago.. promising to marry me?"

"Only for good business relations," Sesshomaru responded, his eyes falling back to Rin. "I have found my true mate and cannot ignore that."

For a moment Rin almost wanted to smile at his words, understanding how sweet they were. But instead she looked away. He had lied. Kagura wasn't just some client's daughter. She had been his.. girlfriend? No wonder Kagura had put up such a fight to keep him away from Rin. Now all her mean words made sense and Rin felt like a home wrecker.

"Get out," Sesshomaru demanded, sending the pair in front of him a deathly glare.

"As you wish," the man replied, nodding to Kagura.

"Do not think we will not discuss this further, Naraku," Sesshomaru bit out venomously, as they reached the door. He stood, as if trying to remind the man of just how much power he had.

"I have no doubt, Lord Sesshomaru," Naraku responded with a breezy laugh.

With those words he and Kagura stepped past Rin and out the door. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes but Rin desperately held them back. She swallowed hard, watching the silver haired demon coming to her.

"Rin," he began, trying to look into her eyes, but she cast them down. "Please understand there is nothing between that woman and I. It was all in her head."

"But you were courting?" Rin asked.

"Only in the simplest sense of the word. I had yet to give her any gifts. It was only to please our fathers'," he explained, putting a hand on Rin's shoulder. She shrugged it off, finally looking into his eyes.

"If that's so then you could have just said that instead of _lying," _she muttered, unconsciously balling her fists up. "I think I had a right to know. But you lied instead."

"Rin, I-" Sesshomaru whispered softly, trying to calm the rage he could see boiling in her veins.

"No," she spat out, cutting him off. "I don't care. I'm.. I'm just really fucking mad right now. You're a fucking asshole," she said in a raised voice. "A fucking asshole!" she cried, shaking her head.

"You will not take that tone with me, Rin, upset or not. And you will listen to me," he ordered.

"No, I won't."

"You are acting like a child," the demon accused, clearly growing tired of her attitude.

Rin's head snapped up to him once again at his words. Her eyes grew dark and threatening. "That's just it though isn't it? I AM a child! I'm only eighteen years old for fuck's sake. I'm too young for this bullshit," she paused briefly, mulling the revelation over. "I mean really.. you're pretty much 480 years older than me. And still ten years older in appearance. That's a lot. Our mentalities are totally different. We're totally different. I don't know why I thought this could work."

"It can work," Sesshomaru pointed out. "My age is irrelevant. Only what we want and what we feel should matter."

"Well right now I feel like this won't work and I can't handle it. I just need some time," Rin said, sadness coming over her. "Thanks for letting me have the rest of the week off, what a good boss you are," she bit out, stepping towards the door. She waited for him to say no to her little vacation but when he said nothing, she walked out, slamming the door.

'Fucking dog bastard' her mind was screaming over and over again. She walked quickly to the elevator, mashing the down button over and over again like it would get the elevator to her more quickly. She wanted to avoid being seen all together. She saw Kagome was still captured in a group of giggling women and shut her eyes, praying they would conceal Kagome's view of her.

When the elevator arrived and the doors slid open, Rin rushed in, not bothering to look inside first. She pounded the lobby button with her fist, realizing she'd be walking home, or at least somewhere, since Kagome had the keys to the car.

"Damn kid, what has you so pissed," a man grunted. Rin immediately recognized the voice and threw her head back in aggravation with a groan.

"Ugh. Inuyasha, not right now, okay?" she said softly, not bothering to look at him.

"What's wrong, Rin?" he asked in a more serious, concerned tone. "What did Sesshomaru do?"

Rin looked at him warily. "Why do you assume it has anything to do with him?"

"Come on," Inuyasha said with a slight eye roll,"why else would you be leaving work so early in the morning?"

"Yeah okay. It's him," she admitted sadly.

Rin launched into what happened just moments earlier. Inuyasha seemed unfazed. He watched her intently, but made no move to comfort her, even when tears streamed down her face. When she was finished she looked at him expectantly.

"Well?" she asked.

"Kagura is bat shit crazy, Rin. I guarantee ya Sesshomaru only agreed to courting her to please father. But once he sensed you as his true mate he abandoned all that and focused on you. If I were you, I wouldn't be too upset," Inuyasha told her with a shrug.

"Really? He lied!" she yelled out, surprised Inuyasha was actually siding with his brother.

"Feh, of course he did. Didn't want to upset you," the half demon pointed out.

Rin leaned against the wall of the elevator just as the doors popped open. Inuyasha had a point. If Sesshomaru had lied to keep her from being upset he was pretty on par with that line of thought. After all, here she was, being upset. But she ignored that logic. She was really mad he lied, not that he had courted Kagura.

Inuyasha stepped off the elevator and waited for Rin to follow behind him. "Do you need a lift somewhere, kid?"

"No, but thank you. I think I just need to go for a long walk and clear my head," Rin whispered, looking through the glass doors of the building.

"Well alright, just watch yourself," he told her. Inuyasha pressed the up button and stepped back onto the elevator, heading to the 20th floor.

Rin waved at him, knowing he'd relay everything they had discussed to Kagome. Instinctively, Rin reached to shut her phone off. She loved Kagome but wanted to avoid the barrage of texts and phone calls for now.

She walked out the doors and onto the street, wishing she had remembered she was wearing heels during Inuyasha's offer to drop her off somewhere. Rin took a right and headed towards a local park. She got a few looks from various men, her cheeks burning a darker shade of red each time. But she would flash a smile at them, deciding she would spite Sesshomaru even if he didn't know she was doing it.

The twenty minute walk to the park made her feet feel like she was stepping on knives but she continued on until she stepped onto the soft green grass and walked towards a bench under a tree. As soon as she sat down she pulled her stilettos off, letting out a tiny moan at how good it felt to have the soft grass beneath her toes.

She sat on the bench, for how long she wasn't sure, her mind wandering over the past few months. All she had done was start a job and now here she was feeling heartbroken by a man she should never have gotten involved with. Didn't he know you're not supposed to fraternize with employees? She huffed at the thought and looked up into the tree, smiling at the birds she saw high on a branch.

But vicious sounding barking ripped her from the serenity and she looked up just in time to see the massive beast galloping towards her, a tall, lean man running after him. Rin let out a scream and tried to jump up from her spot on the bench but the dog got to her first.

"Oh my Kami miss, I am SO sorry," a young man said. Rin jerked up to meet his eyes as she tried to push his dog off.

"Kohaku?" Rin said in surprise.

"Rin? I didn't even realize it was you. Shit, I'm really sorry," Kohaku said, rubbing his head awkwardly. He clipped the dog back onto it's leash and yanked him away from the young woman.

"Oh, it's, uh, okay. I didn't realize it was you either. When did you get a dog?" she asked, eyeing the large creature with a wrinkled nose.

"I didn't. Just dog sitting for a friend," he replied. "Hey look I'm kinda glad I ran into you," he muttered, turning pink,"I just wanted to say sorry for how I acted after we broke up. I was just-"

"It's completely okay, Kohaku!" Rin cried, holding her hands up. "Really , I understand."

"I would have said sorry sooner but your boyfriend, well.. to be honest he's pretty scary," the young man admitted.

Rin let out a small laugh. "Yeah Sesshomaru can be intense. But.. I don't think he's really my boyfriend anymore actually."

"Really?" Kohaku exclaimed, not bothering to hide his shock.

"Yeah, long story though."

"Care to walk with me and we can talk about it?" he offered, extending his arm out to her.

Rin bit her lip nervously. Taking Kohaku's arm, she swallowed her nerves and strolled beside him, explaining the day's earlier events.

"I don't blame you for being mad one bit, Rinny," Kohaku comforted.

The girl sighed, glad to hear someone siding with her.

"If I were you, I wouldn't even go back!" he told her. "Look I can get you on at Starbucks with me. You start school soon anyway right?"

"Yeah in two weeks actually. Could you really get me on there?" she wondered. The pay would be nothing compared to what she made with Sesshomaru but she could get away from him and clear her head. Besides, she didn't need to be working full time when she needed to be working on her education she told herself.

"I definitely could. I'm the manager," he snorted, patting her hand.

Rin gave him a smile. "Then I think I'll take you up on your offer," she said, hugging his arm tightly.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Time jump. Small one!  
And right on Hattaru! That's exactly what I was trying to convey. Teenage girls can get very emotional and say/do dumb things. Rin has been through a lot in her life which can make her more emotional in my opinion.  
And honestly, sometimes couples need a little friction and issues to realize just how much they care. I find this necessary to the story. And as far as Kohaku, I'll relieve yall now, not a fan of their pairing, even though they can be cute. So don't worry!

* * *

"You're sure this is okay?" Kagome asked Rin as they walked into the bridal boutique for Kagome's final dress fitting.

"Geez, Kagome. For the millionth time, yes, 'this' is okay," Rin answered with a huff. "It's been two months. He and I are both adults. We can be civil. Honestly, I doubt he even cares."

Kagome flashed her an incredulous look, but remained quiet. Both Kagome and Inuyasha had been quiet when it came to Sesshomaru. Rin had simply never returned to her job as his secretary, and had ignored his calls. When Kagome tried to tell her she was taking things too far she had been politely ignored. Rin had her take Sesshomaru a letter explaining she just needed space and time away for awhile. Things were getting too serious, too fast for her.

Rin had started classes at her college and was working at Starbucks with Kohaku. Long hours at both places but she didn't mind. It kept her mind occupied most of the day and not on _him_. When his name stopped popping up on her phone she felt slightly relieved, but by the third day of no calls she broke down and cried.

He had apologized in a few voicemails in the same bored tone he always held. But Rin could sense the emotion behind them, and while it made her feel better, she still could not seem to forgive him.

Kohaku had briefly tried to sleep with her and coerce her into a relationship again but Rin shut that whole thing down quickly. She just wanted to be alone for awhile, sans any sort of relationship.

Rin sat down on a chair to wait on Kagome in front of a huge three way mirror. Rin stared at her reflection and decided she looked like shit in her sweatshirt and yoga pants. It was a far cry from her sexy, sultry dresses a few months ago. But before she could inspect herself further she heard the rustling of heavy fabric and looked up to see a flushed Kagome stepping out of the dressing room and in front of her.

Tears swelled in Rin's eyes seeing the gorgeous dress on her best friend. She had helped her pick it out but seeing it with the correct alterations so close to the big day was breathtaking. It had a square neckline with beading all down the bodice. The A-line cut made Kagome's waist look tiny, the satin fabric wrapping around her torso and ending at the corner of her waist. Lacey sleeves connected at the bodices corners and ended at Kagome's elbows.

The dress wasn't overly fancy, but it was perfect for Kagome. Rin felt a pang of jealousy briefly but pushed it away when Kagome turned to her, face lit up with joy.

"Well?" she asked eagerly.

"It's so beautiful Kagome. So gorgeous," Rin cooed, standing up to grab the veil from the sales woman. She pinned it into kagome pony tail to give her an idea of what she might look like in three days when she married the love of her life.

Kagome let out a squeal when she turned to face the mirror once again. "It's everything I've ever wanted," she whispered, running her hand down the veil and to the skirt of her dress.

"Well just wait until we get your hair done! You're going to be the most beautiful bride there ever was," Rin assured her, removing the veil and shooing the girl back into the dressing room.

In three days Rin would be forced to come into direct contact with Sesshomaru. She would never, ever clue Kagome in but she felt sick at the thought. Kohaku was planning on being her date and the last thing Rin needed was both her ex's staring one another down viciously across the room. Considering she was maid of honor and Sesshomaru was best man they would most likely end up walking down the aisle together.

How ironic.

She inwardly rolled her eyes at her inner narrative. She'd have to ignore the painful irony and just get it over with. Smile, nod, walk, stand, nod, smile, walk and then it would be over and she could spend the rest of the evening avoiding him like the plague.

And then an awful thought struck Rin. What if he brought a date too? Surely he would? Maybe even Kagura! Her face burned, but she stomped the jealous rage back down. Let him bring her! He could do whatever he wanted.

"Ready?" Kagome chirped, standing in front of Rin with a smile.

"Yup, let's go. I need to get to class anyway," Rin told her with a disappointed sigh. She knew school was important but it sure did ruin her day.

Kagome dropped her off at her campus thirty minutes later with a wave goodbye. Rin trudged to her first class, history, finding a seat and sitting down to pull her things out.

"Excuse me, Miss Minami?" her teacher asked. The woman was a heavy set, dark haired woman, younger than most professors Rin had this semester.

"Yes?" Rin responded, looking up in surprise.

"You're needed in the counselor's office. Just sneak back in when you're done deary," the woman told her with a wink.

Rin nodded, feeling confused. Why would they need her up there? She gathered her belongings back up and made the trek across campus to her counselor's office. She was waved in, and sat down, waiting for the counselor to be off the phone call she was currently on.

"Alrighty, I'm sorry about that Miss Minami. I'm Sayuri, your counselor. How are you doing?" the woman asked sweetly.

"Pretty good," Rin said back, feeling awkward.

"Okay well let's jump right in, shall we? I just wanted to let you know that you will no longer need to make payments on your school loan. This semester and next are completely paid for," Sayuri told her with a huge smile.

Rin frowned, her voice shaky,"How?"

Sayuri rifled through some papers, finally finding the one she was looking for. "It says here, let's see, ah yes, Sesshomaru Taisho paid for it all. How lucky for you! The Taisho family must be getting some good deeds in."

Rin stared at her blankly, unable to find her voice. Sesshomaru had kept his promise to her? After how she had cut him out of her life? A sense of guilt washed over her briefly but she tried to shrug it away. What that demon did was his choice and she refused to let it affect how she felt towards him. But maybe she should call him and say thank you.

"Are you alright, Rin?" Sayuri asked, giving her a concerned look.

"Uh yeah, just surprised," Rin replied, looking away uncomfortably.

"I would be too. But what a generous gift. Anyway, just wanted to inform you in person about it. You can return to class," the woman told her with a friendly smile.

"Thanks," Rin said, picking her bag up and walking out of the office.

On the way back to her history class her mind raced. He was really doing this. Deciding he did need to be thanked, but face to face, she planned on talking to him at the wedding. It was only 3 days away now, he wouldn't think anything if he didn't hear from her until then. When she arrived in class she sat at her desk, trying to listen the the lecture she had interrupted but finding her mind ever present on the powerful demon lord.

When she got on the bus home her mind was still focused on Sesshomaru. Maybe she had acted a little extreme, cutting contact with him like that. But he had lied and she didn't want to be lied to like she was by Kohaku. If he started out lying he might continue lying, she had told herself.

She popped the door of her apartment open only to see a shirtless Inuyasha laying across the couch. She sighed. She would miss Kagome terribly when she moved out after the wedding but definitely not the way Inuyasha made himself at home. At least he was offering to pay for part of the apartment while she finished school since Kagome was leaving sooner than originally planned when they got the apartment.

"Hey, Rin," he called, not bothering to look up from his television program.

"Hi, Inuyasha. Is Kagome home?" she asked, hoping desperately she was.

"Nope. But hey I wanted to talk to you for a minute kid," the dog eared man said, sitting up and turning the TV off.

"Alright, what about?" Rin wondered, her body tensing. She already knew what it was about.

"Look, Kagome said you guys talked this morning about my asshole brother. We've all given you your space here, Rin. But you're Sesshomaru's true mate and he can't keep ignoring that any longer. I know he lied, I know it hurt, I know this entire thing scares you, but you need to give the guy a shot."

Rin eyed him, wanting to feel angry, but only hearing the truth in his words. Sesshomaru had explained to her before that once a dog demon found his true mate it hurt to be without them. She was causing him pain.

"I just.. maybe I did over react, okay? But can you blame me? Committing to be with someone forever is a really huge deal! I don't want to make a mistake," she explained, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath in an attempt to stop the tears that threatened to fall.

"I get it. I do. Like I said, just give him a chance. He really cares about you, Rin. He's been moping around for the past few months," Inuyasha told her.

Rin's eyes widened at the thought of Sesshomaru 'moping' and she gave a small smile. "Alright, Inuyasha. I'll think about everything you said," she mumbled, giving him a friendly nod and pushing past him to her room.

The next few days flew by and before Rin knew it she was helping Kagome pack up the last of her things in a sleek black limo. Sango had arrived from out of town with her husband Miroku just the day before and now lugged Kagome's very heavy wedding dress into the car. Rin smiled at the woman, already feeling close to her since she was Kohaku's sister. She and Kagome had been friends for a long time but after getting married she couldn't hang out as much. Rin hoped that wouldn't happen to Kagome and decided to be there for her as much as she could.

The three women climbed inside the limo and headed to Toga's manor. Though Kagome and Inuyasha had checked out multiple venues, no where could compare to the lavishness of Toga's estate, so they chose to hold the wedding there.

"Are you ready?" Rin asked Kagome, handing her a glass of wine.

"More than ready. Not thrilled about being in front of hundreds of people, but I can't wait to be Inuyasha's wife," she rushed out, ending with a gulp of her wine.

"Nervous much?" Sango interjected.

"You have no idea. All eyes on me? Not my favorite thing," Kagome replied with a sigh. She gulped the rest of the wine down, handing the glass back to Rin. RIn stared at her in mild surprise and then laughed.

"Just focus on Inuyasha. It will be fine. If all else fails, look to me and I'll do funny faces," Rin giggled.

Sango and Kagome laughed with her, all agreeing that making faces would work perfectly in a pinch. But soon they pulled up to the mansion and stepped from the car, servants rushing to unload the women's things from the trunk.

Rin glanced to the balcony and saw Sesshomaru standing above, staring down at her. She turned her face downwards, feeling a burn spreading through her cheeks. She didn't dare to glance up again and rushed inside with the bride in tow behind her.

A room upstairs now held all the things they needed, including a professional hair and make up stylist. Rin and Sango went first, being told the sooner they were done, the sooner they could head downstairs and make sure everything was going according to plan.

Rin sat patiently waiting for her hair and make up to be finished. When she looked in the mirror she immediately felt pleased with the results. Half of her hair was pulled into a bun at the back of her head, a bouffant resting on top of her head with her bangs swept to the side, the remaining hair hung loose down her back, curled into large, soft curls. Three small, white flowers adorned various places in the back of her hair. Her make up was gold and brown, matching the sage green of the dress she would be wearing.

She got up to let Sango take her place and unzipped the bag holding her dress. It was strapless, hugging her chest and flowing down in an empire waist. A braided rope belt sat under her breasts, a gold tone shimmering against the green of the dress.

"You look gorgeous!" Kagome cried with a huge smile. "But don't take the spot light from me!" she giggled out.

Rin shook her head. "I won't be able to. I know you're going to be even more gorgeous."

"I better be! Can you go check and make sure the florist dropped everything off? We need our bouquets," Kagome pointed out.

"Absolutely! Be back in a minute," Rin called over her shoulder, walking out the door and to the huge staircase leading to the first floor.

Rin wandered through the home until she made it to the kitchen, nodding politely to the various people she met along the way. She glanced nervously around the kitchen as vendors and servants rushed around, nearly knocking into her. Finally she spotted flowers sitting on the table and walked over to them.

Kagome's large white bouquet sat in the center, with two smaller sets beside it, purple and orange flowers glaring brightly against the few white ones beside them.

"Rin," a voice said softly.

She froze. She would know that voice anywhere. She turned slowly to meet his gaze.

"Hello, Sesshomaru," she whispered, forcing herself to look into his eyes. They seemed to be a burning golden and she felt herself slipping into them, forgetting she was staring.

He took a step towards her, grazing her upper arm with his hand. "Have you been alright, Rin?" he asked.

The young woman remained silent in thought. When she really thought about it, no, she hadn't been. "I've been okay," she lied. Trying to shrug the lure of his scent off, she smiled. "I'm glad I ran into you. I just wanted to say thank you for paying that tuition. You really don't have to do that."

"I told you I would, no matter what happened between us. This Sesshomaru does not go back on his word," he half scoffed. "You are my mate, Rin. I would do anything for you," he said lowly, staring into her eyes.

"But I'm-" she began.

"You are. I gave you your alone time to think things through. I understand you are young. But do not mistake space for abandonment," he said more loudly, caressing her face.

Rin's mouth fell open in surprise. So he just expected her to come back to his side, just like that? Such a presumptuous dog! But when his fingers brushed her arm again she shivered, realizing she had missed his touch exponentially.

"I _am_ sorry, Rin, for not being more direct with you about the nature of my relationship with Kagura," he told her.

"I-" she started, but faltered. Finding her voice again, she swallowed hard and continued. "I think maybe I did over react and I'm sorry for that. But all this courting and mating.. it's just so.. huge. I'm completely alone, Sesshomaru. My parents died, and while Kagome and her family have been there, it's still just me. I don't want to become attached to someone that might.. leave.." she whispered the last part softly, ashamed for such an irrational thought.

"I will not leave. You are my true mate and I-" he stopped short, shifting uncomfortably.

"You what?" she asked him, confused my his sudden struggle.

Sesshomaru remained silent, looking around at the buzzing room. Suddenly, he gripped her arm and pulled her out of the room and into the empty hallway. Before she could protest, he spun her against the wall, bringing his face to hers. Rin stared deeply into his eyes, their fire glinting into her own brown orbs. He kissed her roughly, then lessened the force, letting his lips brush softly against hers before pulling away.

"I, Sesshomaru Taisho, heir to the Western Lands, love you, Rin," he breathed out, nuzzling her neck.

Rin gaped at him, completely taken aback by his sudden admission. From his actions, he really must have missed her. Her heart raced, thumping against her chest and ringing in her ears. She tried to speak but her throat felt dry.

The man who once struggled with even apologizing to her for something small, now stood in front of her, offering an apology freely and confessing his love.

Rin cupped his face in her hand, "Oh Sesshomaru, I-"

But before she could finish Toga appeared. "Come on you two, it's nearly time to start!"


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Shorter than usual just because the chapter came to an end at a perfect place. Story isn't over yet, and whenever it is I will definitely put a big the end at the end of the chapter so yall will know.**  
**Newtypejuliet I used Toga because their father is listed that way in the credits of the third movie, though his name is never directly mentioned in the dialogue.**

**ENJOY FRIENDS**!

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Sesshomaru glared at Toga, a pink tint coming into his eyes. Rin stared at Toga but quickly touched Sesshomaru's arm in an attempt to calm him. Toga simply looked between the two of them obviously oblivious to the conversation they were just holding.

"Sesshomaru, we'll finish this later, okay? Today is Kagome's day anyway, not mine," she breathed out, giving him a reassuring smile. The demon frowned, calming down, but still looking at his father with hatred.

"Did I say something wrong?" the older demon asked, falling into step behind his son.

"Uh no, Toga, it's okay. We were just talking," Rin told him. The last thing she wanted was to bring Toga into the conversation. She was sure he had his own opinions about her and Sesshomaru's argument and she really didn't care to hear them right now.

"Talking? My son actually talks? I would never have known it," the man mumbled, shooting his eldest child a dark look. But before Sesshomaru could respond the trio arrived at the closed doors of the ballroom, where the ceremony would be taking place. Kagome paced before the doors, wringing her hands nervously. Sango held all three of the bouquets and handed Rin her own as she arrived.

"Sesshomaru we need to go meet Inuyasha," Toga half ordered, nodding his head towards the hallway to the right. Rin gave him a small wave, watching him go, his eyes lingering on her until he was forced to focus on what his father was now saying to him.

"So where did you disappear to, girlfriend?" Kagome asked, suddenly popping up beside Rin with a devilish grin. Before Rin could respond, she smiled even wider. "Did you two finally kiss and make up?"

Rin sighed," Kagome, let's focus on you and Inuyasha right now, mmkay?"

"Ohhhhhhh, you two did! I'm so excited!" she yelled, trapping Rin in a tight embrace. Sango laughed at their interaction and shook her head.

"Kagome I don't think she wants to discuss it right now," Sango said, giving Rin a sympathetic glance.

"Okay, fine. Geez. You guys won't even help a girl out to distract her right before she makes the biggest commitment of her life and she is incredibly nervous and about to walk out in front of like three hundred people, I mean-"

"Kagome!" Rin cried. "Calm down! It will be okay. Focus on Inuyasha and you won't even notice everyone else, okay?"

Kagome let her breath out in a whoosh of air and nodded. "I feel better. Let's do this!" she exclaimed, putting on her battle face.

Sango handed her the large, white bouquet and Kagome turned to her grandfather, who was taking the honor of walking her down the aisle. The old man smiled widely at her, wiping at his eyes briefly, before offering her his arm. When she accepted, Rin and Sango quickly lined up and Kagome gave a nod to the servants to swing the large double doors open.

Music started and Sango stepped down the aisle at a leisurely pace with Rin a few steps behind. Rin looked at Inuyasha in his gleaming black tux, and his hair in a high pony tail, thinking he looked so much like his father. Her eyes fell to his side, where Sesshomaru stood, staring at Rin. She blushed and smiled, looking back down at the red runner below her feet.

Forcing herself to look back up, she met Sesshomaru's golden eyes once again and they locked, lost in one another's orbs. Rin felt as if the entire room had disappeared and only she and Sesshomaru remained standing. She knew how she would finish their earlier conversation when she had the chance. She flashed him a beautiful, yet bashful smile, and turned to the side, standing next to Sango to await Kagome's arrival.

The traditional wedding march began and the Kagome appeared in the doorway, her eyes wandering over the room before settling on her groom. Rin teared up as she watched the two lovers stare into each other's eyes, love oozing from them both. Kagome's grandfather passed Kagome off to Inuyasha, giving them both his blessing as her mother nodded well.

"And who gives this bride to this man in holy matrimony?" the priest asked.

"We do," Kagome's mother, brother, and grandfather all responded.

Tears formed in Kagome's eyes at the gravity of the moment. But she quickly wiped them away and turned to gaze on Inuyasha's face, his expression one of great peace and happiness.

Rin tried to focus on the ceremony and her beautiful best friend but she found her eyes meandering over to Sesshomaru, whose gaze was fixed intently upon her. She huffed slightly. The man didn't even try to hide it. But the burn his eyes put on her didn't make her feel uncomfortable but instead she wanted more. He did love her, she could see that now. How stupid she had been to let such a tiny thing upset her so much!

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Her feelings overwhelmed her, brimming to the top and spilling over.

_Kami, how I love him._

Sesshomaru seemed to sense her thoughts as he cocked his head slightly and narrowed his eyes to hers. She beamed at him, but moved her eyes back to the bride and groom, signaling they should be paying attention.

"I do," Kagome murmured, tears forming once again in the corner of her eyes.

"I now pronounce you, man and wife. You may kiss your bride, Mr. Taisho!" the priest cried. The room erupted in cheers and applause at his words and the guests looked on at the passionate, love filled kiss Inuyasha gave his new wife.

Rin and Sango cheered the loudest with Sesshomaru and Toga offering the loudest applause. The bride and groom walked arm in arm down the aisle, grinning mercilessly at each other and anyone who caught their attention. Before Rin knew it, Sesshomaru was standing beside her, offering his arm. She took it, peering into his eyes, soaking in the affection she saw there.

But soon they were pulled apart again for pictures. The groomsman split up to go with one photographer and the bridesmaids and bride went with another. Rin stood next to Kagome, a smile plastered on her face for each shot, but she desperately wanted to get back to Sesshomaru. The words she needed to say were bubbling in her throat and she needed to get them out.

Finally, the groups reunited for pictures together. Next came family shots, which Kagome eagerly insisted Rin be in as well.

"You're my sister Rinny, now and forever, okay? Get in here!" Kagome cried, yanking on Rin's hand. Rin felt touched, having lost her family and constantly feeling like an orphan had really affected her over the years. She swiped at her eyes, squeezing Kagome's hand as Sota slipped an arm around her waist, giving her a welcoming smile.

When it was time for the bridal party to be introduced to the crowd, everyone lined up, Rin hugging Sesshomaru's bicep tightly. She knew she had to wait for the right moment, she couldn't just blurt the words out at a random time.

The DJ called Sango and Toga's name, the pair walking in together as their connection with the bride and groom was explained. Toga immediately split off to meet Izayoi's embrace and Sango went to Miroku, turning to watch the next couple enter.

"Alright, folks, next we have Sesshomaru and Rin Taisho, the groom's brother and the bride's sister serving as the wonderful best man and maid of honor!" the man called into the microphone.

Rin and Sesshomaru stepped into the room to clapping, Rin noticing a look of surprise on some guests faces. The DJ hadn't caught his mistake, if it was even a mistake at all. Inuyasha probably told him to announce them as husband and wife, just to prove his point that they belonged together. When it was Inuyasha and Kagome's turn to walk in, Rin and Sesshomaru waited, holding to each other tightly.

The DJ called their names and the newly wed couple entered to thunderous applause, cheers, and even some whistles. The wedding planner wasted no time and dinner was immediately served, followed by the cake cutting and champagne. As everyone ate their cake, Sesshomaru rose, clinking his fork against his glass, capturing the room's attention.

Everyone turned from their plates and looked to the silver haired demon, interested in what the usually silent lord had to say.

"I would just like to say a few words regarding my little brother and his new bride," he began, nodding to Inuyasha, who smiled back, "As many of you know, my brother and I have not always gotten along. We have had many battles with each other, and I find him to be a worthy opponent. To see him find such an honorable mate as Kagome, makes me happy for him. She is a well rounded, intelligent woman who has much to offer to our family. You are an excellent addition, Kagome," he told her, raising his glass to her.

Kagome blushed deeply, but Sesshomaru ignored it, pressing on. "You love my brother very much, that is simple enough to see. I, myself have learned recently that love can change you. When you find the one you love you will do anything to protect them and the bond you share with them," he continued, his eyes resting on Rin,"They consume your thoughts and you want nothing more than to please them in every aspect. When you find that perfect person to share your life with, you do not ever want to let them go and wish to say 'I love you' everyday, so they never forget it. To love," he said, raising his glass once again, "And to your love," he finished, as everyone tipped their glasses back.

Though they assumed his words were directed towards the bride and groom, his eyes and nod were to Rin, who smiled and nodded back to him. She felt too shocked to do much else. His words were so public, and about as close to emotional as he would ever get. She had changed him indeed.

Rin muddled through her own speech, which was incredibly less eloquent than Sesshomaru's and less pointed. She would save her sweet words for him later. She hugged Inuyasha and Kagome when she was finished and watched them head into their first dance as husband and wife.

"Hey Rin," a voice whispered to her as she stood among the crowd.

She turned to find Kohaku standing beside her. "Oh hello, Kohaku. You're my date but I haven't even seen you all day," she laughed.

"Well I'm not really your date anymore am I?" he replied, nodding towards Sesshomaru who was discussing something with his father across the room.

"Oh Kohaku, I-" she started, but he held his hand up, cutting her off.

"It's okay, Rinny. He really seemed to feel for you, and I'm not going to get mad about that. If you're happy, I'm happy. Plus, Sango's here and she'd kick my butt if I started shit," he said with a small laugh.

"Thank you," was all Rin could muster out, impressed with the boy's sudden maturity.

He wandered away to find his sister, leaving Rin to watch Sesshomaru. She willed him to come over to her while she watched Kagome dance with her grandfather, and then her brother. He finally made it over to her as Inuyasha and Izayoi took the floor.

When the song ended the mother and son hugged lovingly. The DJ announced Kagome and Inuyasha were going to dance again and invited other couples to join them on the floor. When the song started, Rin immediately recognized it, pulling Sesshomaru to the dance floor, not caring if he wanted to dance or not.

_Frozen in Time_ by James Collins had been the song she told Kagome reminded her of Sesshomaru. Surely it was no coincidence it now played over the speakers.

Sesshomaru held her waist tightly and they clasped hands, gliding around the floor gracefully, their eyes never leaving one another's faces.

_I get so excited when I hold your hand_  
_And just the slightest touch sends me right to heaven_  
_I forgot that it's supposed to feel like this_  
_You inspire my desire and showed me what I missed_

Sesshomaru leaned down and softly kissed her, but as he went to pull away, Rin deepened the kiss, not caring who saw.

_If I was ever frozen in time_  
_It wouldn't matter how, when or why it would be_  
_As long as I knew that you were next to me_  
_Frozen in time for eternity_

Rin pulled away, her body trembling. They continued dancing, everyone's eyes following the couple now, even the bride and groom, though Rin only briefly noticed.

_From this moment on I'll never let a single day pass_  
_Without saying I love you_

"I love you so much, Sesshomaru. I never want to let you go, ever," Rin breathed out, searching his eyes and holding her breath again, waiting for his response.

His eyebrows raised slightly, but he gave her a gentle smile and kissed her again on her forehead.

"I love you too, Rin."


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Sorry it took so long. No real excuse other than minor writer's block! We are nearing the end within the next few chapters and I find my brain is slowing down with it. ha.**

**Raventink your review had me laughing! I'm glad you're enjoying it, esp chapter 4. I think its my favorite chapter. haha.**

**Enjoy everyone!**

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Rin sucked air in, replaying his words in her mind. Twice now he had told her he loved her. In one day.

Not bad.

This was where she was meant to be. With this man. The song was ending and as it did, Sesshomaru continued to hold her close, even as their feet stopped moving. Rin saw a longing in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, frowning.

Sesshomaru glanced around with a sigh, "Honestly, I wished to propose to you, Rin. But I feel it would be rude to take attention away from my brother and your friend on their day."

The girl swallowed when she heard his confession. She expected a weight to fall on her shoulders but it never did. The thought of him proposing here and now thrilled her to her core. But she agreed with his assessment; someone else's wedding was not the place.

Rin grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the edge of the room. Sesshomaru came willingly, surprising her, since he usually liked to be the one in control. When they reached the doorway to exit the ballroom and enter the front of the house, she suddenly turned, pushing him against the door's frame. She stood on her toes and gave him a deep, passionate kiss, letting her tongue slide it's away across his bottom lip.

She pressed her body into his, smiling into his lips when she felt the hard lump pushing against her leg. Rin ran her hand down his chest to the lump, rubbing it gently. A noise escaped from his throat and Rin broke the kiss, smiling playfully, and running through the doorway, past the entrance of the mansion, and up the grand staircase.

When she glanced behind her and saw he wasn't there she knew he had caught on to her plan for a playful evening. After his confession of love combined with her own, all she wanted was to be as close to him as possible. She slowed her run to a walk, glancing at the various doors down the hallway, trying to decide which one looked interesting enough to open and seek a hiding place in.

She glanced behind her once again, disappointed he wasn't making his presence known. But before she could dwell on the matter, a hand flew out and grabbed her hand, yanking her into a side hallway. She repressed the urge to scream, knowing it was Sesshomaru, and instead pushed her ass into the erection poking into it. The hand released her face and brushed the hair down her neck and back to the side, replacing it with warm, soft lips.

His kisses made her burn inside, but she tried to calm herself and relish the feeling of his lips trailing light kisses down her neck and shoulder while his hand squeezed at her butt. Deciding to continue the game she pulled away from him and took off running again. She heard a growl echo behind her and let out a loud giggle, hoping to goad the man on further.

She ran down the main hallway, turning to the right when it came to an end. She slowed again, looking around warily. This side of Toga's house seemed somewhat neglected, as if barely anyone ever ventured into it. Feeling uneasy she back tracked through the small hallway until she found herself back at the junction where it met the main hall. Walking straight she moved slowly, wondering where her intended lover might be.

A door to her right creaked open and she walked through it, knowing it was a trap, but longing to be caught in it. She looked to her left and found herself staring straight into Sesshomaru's golden eyes. They were filled with lust and he pushed her back against the wall, pulling her leg up and around his waist while kissing her lips gently.

Her bridesmaid dress was so long it was getting in the way of what she wanted to do. She growled in aggravation, swatting at the long skirt. Sesshomaru noticed letting out a tight chuckle. He dropped her leg unceremoniously and grabbed the skirt of her dress, shredding it a few inches above her knee, all the way around until it pooled at her feet.

Rin's mouth dropped open and she looked down at the beautiful, expensive material, lying in pieces on the floor. Deciding she would worry about it later, she threw herself back against Sesshomaru's chest, biting his neck gently. Her breath was becoming heavy and ragged with desire as they kissed and nipped at each other, her leg finding itself back around his waist, exposing her womanhood to his growing erection.

Sesshomaru ran his leg up her thigh, she assumed expecting to run into her panties. But being in a rush today she had forgotten to bring her thong and didn't want to have a line showing so she wore nothing. He let a growl bubble in his throat when he felt the moist area her underwear would normally be covering.

The girl grinned, glad to see his surprise but the smile immediately disappeared as his finger rubbed against her crease softly, making the pit of her stomach and her core burn intensely.

But suddenly he pulled away, his eyes boring into her own before snatching her up into his arms. She yelped nervously, confused by his actions. He walked over to the nearest window and unlocked it, opening it smoothly while still holding her close.

"What are you-" Rin began but her words were replaced by her sharp and terrified scream as Sesshomaru jumped from the window and into the air.

Cool fall air passed over her face and she realized they were flying through the air, Sesshomaru's home coming into view rapidly. He slowed and gracefully landed on the green grass before the doors to his home. Rin looked into his eyes and felt a rush of warmth through her system. He set her down and they walked in together, her hand in his.

Servants appeared, bowing to their master, some gawking at his girlfriend's shredded dress. But Sesshomaru ignored them all, pulling Rin up the staircase, down the hallway, and to his luxurious room. He all but slammed the door behind him, turning to her, and walking towards her.

Rin's eyes widened at the look in his eyes and backed up, her steps stopping as her thighs hit his high bed. He closed the distance remaining between them, reaching his hand out to stroke her cheek. Rin closed her eyes and relished his touch, lightly tracing the back of his hand with her fingers. When they kissed they both knew what they were beginning, and the kiss deepened.

They remained in their love filled kiss as the moments ticked by until finally Sesshomaru broke the kiss and pushed her back onto his bed. She scooted back, watching him remove his tuxedo jacket before yanking at his tie. He unbuttoned his white shirt, exposing his chiseled chest. Rin could feel the heat in her body rising as she watched him remove his pants as too.

Well, wasn't he just getting right down to business?

He left his boxers on and climbed onto the bed with her, but before he could make it far, Rin spread her legs open, revealing her glistening sex. Sesshomaru stared at her face for a moment before allowing his eyes to travel downwards. His eyes gathered a hint of pink before he closed them, reopening them to reveal their normal color had returned.

Sesshomaru moved closer to her, leaning over her body with his own, kissing her. He took his index finger and sliced down the green dress, finishing the demise he had started of it earlier. He pushed the fabric away, revealing her breasts, which he cupped, rubbing a finger over her tight nipple. Rin moaned softly, begging him for more with her eyes.

He moved his hands lower until they rested on her swollen, sensitive bud. His finger moved down the folds of the slick skin until he pushed in, making her jerk, causing his finger to push even deeper. He moved it slowly, bending his head to take her nipple between his teeth. Rin groaned, feeling satisfied, yet dissatisfied at the same time.

"Sesshomaru.. please.." she whispered, but he ignored her, licking and sucking at her nipples, switching between them both.

Finally his hand slowed, and he pulled his finger from her soft, wet, core. Rin sat up, nodding to his boxers, which his erection now popped out of. He stood, dropping them to the floor. Rin moved off the bed and sank to her knees below him. He looked surprised but made no move to stop her so Rin took his hard member into her mouth and licked at it's tip.

A moan immediately escaped Sesshomaru's lips, and he pushed into her mouth slightly. Rin took the hint and began to move her mouth back and forth over his cock, enjoying the soft growls emanating from above her.

She moved faster and faster, sucking on the tip and gripping the rest of it tightly in her hand, moving it up and down. Sesshomaru's hand found it's way into her hair, grasping desperately, obviously beginning to lose his self control as he tugged even harder.

Rin let her hand and mouth falter slightly, slowing her movements, looking above her to find his eyes. They were turning red and he growled lowly once again, pulling her to her feet and throwing her onto the bed. Rin let a surprised squeak escape her lips, but felt herself aching for him even more with his show of masculinity.

He climbed on top of her, nudging her knees apart to move between them. Rin automatically tried to push her knees together, feeling shy and embarrassed. Sesshomaru stopped, staring into her eyes gently, reassuring her. She tried to relax her body and loosened her knees to allow him to move more freely.

Sesshomaru bent over her body, kissing her forehead before moving down to her lips, which trembled in anticipation. Rin wrapped her fingers into his silver mane as he moved his lips down her jaw line and along her neck until he reached her breasts. He bit at her nipples, making her moan and buck her hips.

His erection grazed her wet folds as she did and she froze in surprise. Sesshomaru looked down into her eyes, asking a silent question. Rin moved her hands to his shoulders, holding tightly, and gave him a small nod.

He pushed into her and Rin nearly screamed. It hurt horribly but she could already see the pleasure in his eyes that her tight virginity gave him. His movement stopped and she realized he was allowing her body to adapt to the sensations it was experiencing. Finally, she nodded her head and kissed his neck, moving her hips to urge him forward.

He dragged a breath in and moved again, going slowly at first, but eagerly building up to a faster pace. The pain Rin felt, was easing away, though not completely. She met Sesshomaru's thrusts, determined to blow his mind. He groaned out her name and moved faster, making the woman below him yell his name loudly.

Rin's body shook and she saw stars underneath her closed lids as an explosion expanded deep in the core of her womanhood. She let her nails dig into Sesshomaru's back as she screamed his name, her voice ringing through the room.

As the throbbing inside her began to wear down she realized Sesshomaru was holding onto her hair tightly and seemed to be experiencing his own climax. She pushed her hips into his eagerly, and his eyes closed, a pleased smile gracing his lips as he fell onto her in exhaustion. He pulled himself from her gently and rolled over, landing beside her on his soft satin bed.

"Wow," Rin breathed out, not really sure what else she could say. Her mind still raced with what they had just done together. She turned her head to look at the demon beside her who now laid back, relaxed, with his eyes closed. "I love you," she whispered softly.

Sesshomaru opened his eyes, looking at her warily. He stood up, walking to his closet, and grabbed a blue silk robe, slipping it on. He pulled out a light pink robe, the same fine silk his own was made of shimmering as he held it out to Rin. When she got up from his bed he helped her into it.

"Wait here one moment, Rin," he ordered before stepping from his room.

Rin sat back down on the bed, feeling let down that he had not returned her words with anything but leaving the room. That didn't seem promising. She inwardly groaned. Kagome's mother had always said to be careful with men, after all, why would they buy the whole cow when they can get the milk for free. Her heart sank slightly.

But before she could dwell on it Sesshomaru walked back through the door, holding his slender hand out to her. She accepted, letting him pull her out of his room and down the hall. At the end of the hall were two huge glass doors. Sesshomaru pushed them open, leading Rin onto a balcony. The stars shone brightly and underneath them was a small table and two chairs, a single rose sat on the table in a crystal vase.

Servants suddenly popped onto the balcony carrying trays of breakfast food. Rin stifled a giggle thinking how random it seemed to be eating breakfast near midnight. As they left Sesshomaru shut the doors behind them.

"This is so beautiful," Rin breathed out, looking up to the crystal clear sky.

"A beautiful setting for a beautiful woman," Sesshomaru replied with a smile.

Before Rin could say anything, Sesshomaru kissed her roughly. "Rin, I must apologize for my behavior. I let my lust for you cloud my judgement. You deserved to be the Lady of the West before I took you to my bed. A situation I plan to remedy immediately."

Rin opened her mouth to speak but he held his hand up to silence her. He suddenly dropped to one knee before her, holding her hand tightly.

"Will you marry me, Rin?" he asked, dropping her hand to pull a small black box from his robe.

Rin's hands flew to her mouth as he opened the box, revealing a beautiful, dainty yet large diamond ring. The band was made of thin lines of white gold, tiny diamonds tracing along them. A very large round cut diamond sat in the middle. Rin stumbled over her words as he slipped the ring onto her finger, already anticipating her answer.

Finally Rin found her voice as she looked from the ring to Sesshomaru. "Yes!" she yelled, "yes, of course! Of course!"

Sesshomaru stood just in time for Rin to jump into his arms, their lips crashing together as he twirled her around.

"You have made me a happy man," he said simply,setting her down.

She smiled in return, knowing this is where she belonged.

* * *

**Rin's ring is on the pinterest board! **


End file.
